Stranger
by TasukiLover05
Summary: Complete - Kurama finds Jenny passed out in a park, who wakes up to discover she has no memories. She struggles to find her place in the world & how to cope with her unknown past. Through it all, she finds herself drawn to certain demons, but nothing turns out the way she, or anyone, expects. Rated mature for sexual content, language, & darker themes. (Reviews greatly appreciated!)
1. Chapter 1 - Stranger

Author Notes: Over 12 years ago I wrote a story titled Stranger. I felt good about it back then, but after reading through it again years later I realized I didn't like the plot, the OC, & the pace of the story at all. So I went back & chose a different path for this story. It still focuses on an OC, Jenny, who loses her memory & is taken in by the YYH gang. She still struggles to find her place in the world & how to cope with her unknown past. Through it all, she finds herself drawn to certain demons, but nothing turns out the way she, or anyone, expects. This story takes place when all the (human) characters are in their mid-20's. Yusuke & Keiko are married, Yukina & Kuwabara are dating. (I haven't written any fanfiction for many years, so please be kind! I'll update as frequently as I can. Italics are Jenny's thoughts.)

Chapter One - Stranger

Her eyes fluttered open, squinting due to the blinding light coming in through the window. _Where am I?_ , she thought. She blinked several times & glanced around the room. She was lying in a bed, wrapped under soft, green blankets. She ran her fingers through her auburn hair. She couldn't get her thoughts together. How did she get here? What had she been doing? Why couldn't she remember? As she sat up, panic threatened to take over. As hard as she tried, she couldn't remember anything before this moment of waking up. _But that's impossible…..I had to have been doing something before waking up here_.

She jumped as she heard the doorknob slowly turn. Wide eyed, she watched as a man with long red hair walked into the room, smiling.

"I see you're awake," he said continuing to hold his smile in place. "We were worried that you hadn't woken up yet." He stood next to the bed & handed her a glass of water, which she eyed cautiously & finally, reluctantly, took.

She watched him over the brim of the glass, not taking a sip yet. The man chuckled & assured her the water was fine to drink.

"Sorry.. I didn't think something was wrong with it… I'm just not sure what's going on." she mumbled as she looked down at the bed, not sure what to do. She finally took a sip. _What's wrong with me?_

The man leaned casually on the wall next to her. "Well, we aren't exactly sure what's going on either. What's your name?" His green eyes watched her with fascination. She felt like he could see right through her. She shuddered.

"My name… is Jenny," she said quietly. _At least I can remember that._ "What's yours?"

"Kurama," he said after a momentary pause. "You're currently in my guest room."

"How did I get here?" Jenny said, gathering the courage to ask the question she's been wondering since she'd woken up.

Kurama sighed. "I found you lying unconscious in a nearby park. No one was around & I was concerned for your well-being. I couldn't just leave you there." He shrugged. "I brought you back here last night & you've been asleep the entire time. I was hoping you just needed some rest, but as today passed without any change I began to worry." He gave a small smile. "I'm relieved to see you awake." His moved a piece of red hair from in front of his face & tucked it behind his ear.

For a moment, Jenny couldn't help but notice how handsome he was. She turned her face slightly away from his. _Why was I unconscious in a park? This just gets more confusing…._

"Thanks, I guess.. For helping me," I said. "Any idea why I was there?"

Surprise flashed across his face for a mere moment, but was quickly gone. "I was hoping you could tell us that."

"Us?" _Who else was there? Where were they?_ Suddenly, for some reason, Jenny felt a rush of anxiety. She shuddered again.

Kurama tilted his head towards the door. "My friends are in the living room. They were here when I brought you here yesterday & were concerned. They stuck around." He moved towards the door, sliding it open a little. "I should let you get some more rest. It's late. We'll talk more in the morning. Maybe by then you'll remember more about how you ended up at the park. I'll introduce you to the others later." Kurama gave her a small, reassuring smile. "I'm glad you seem to be alright. We'll figure everything out in the morning." He slid out of the room & closed the door behind him.

Jenny pulled the blanket up closer around her shoulders. She wasn't sure why she felt this anxious. Her heart was racing.

Finally, after a few minutes, she calmed down & forced herself to lay back down on the bed. She was still incredibly nervous & worried about why she couldn't remember anything. _At least I feel somewhat safe here…_ But something continued to nag at her.

Suddenly, now that her heart wasn't racing so loud in her ears, she realized she could her conversation in the living room.

"How do you know she's telling the truth?! Do you really want some random person staying here?!," a voice spit out angrily.

She sat back up & listened intently. _It must be Kurama's friends_.

"Calm down, Yusuke," Kurama's voice calmly replied. "I don't believe she's a threat. She doesn't remember anything before waking up here. I'm more worried about her than I am about us."

She struggled to hear his words clearly, so Jenny quietly slipped out of the covers & crept towards the door. _That's better…._

"How do you know that for sure? She could be lying," a different voice replied.

"I just know." Kurama's voice had a slight tinge of anger to it. The room was quiet for a moment.

"The lass 's human, right?" another voice said. _An Irish accent? And of course I was human… what the hell did that mean?_ Jenny inched closer to the door, her curiosity intensifying.

"Most definitely," Kurama replied.

"I can't believe you'd be this careless, Kurama," a voice said.

"I trust my instincts. She's not a problem," Kurama said defensively.

"It just seems a little suspicious that she ends up here, in a house full of demons…," one of the voices said.

She heard a soft grunt, followed by, "You all should really be more careful. She's been listening in on this conversation for a while now."

She heard a rush of air & suddenly the door flew open, causing her to sprawl onto the hardwood floor of Kurama's living room. She hadn't even realized how much she'd been leaning on the door to listen to the conversation. She pushed her upper body up off the floor & glanced around, her legs still sprawled out. Everyone in the room was looking at her, and it was a fairly large crowd. She felt her face redden with embarrassment.

"Uh….," Jenny stared, not knowing what to say. The panic that had taken over her earlier had found its way back. Her eyes were wide & frantic. Suddenly she felt hands under her arms lifting her up with ease. She turned to see a man with red hair, but much shorter & brighter than Kurama's, smiling at her.

"Y' okay?" He asked kindly.

She nodded, but she didn't feel okay. She felt like she was going to be sick & she didn't even know why. The man helped ease her onto a chair. He sat in a chair next to her, watching her carefully. Everyone else was silent.

"I told you," a shorter man with black hair said. "So… you want to explain yourself?" He asked, glaring at her.

She felt so uncomfortable & alone. As much as she hated it, she felt tears well up in her eyes. It all came spilling out at once. "I don't know where I am. All I know is I woke up here & I can't remember anything before that. Literally! I can't remember anything at all about who I am or how I got here. I'm so confused! And then I hear you guys talking about me out here & mentioning demons & things like that." Suddenly her eyes show up after remembering some of their words. "You said this house is full of demons. What did that mean?! I don't know what's going on…. Or who I am… or.. or …. Anything…!" She broke down, sobbing.

The shorter man grunted, obviously annoyed.

She felt hands on her shoulders again. She jumped at the touch & looked up. Terror seized her. The red haired man, seeing her fear, pulled back. He was obviously concerned, but unsure what to do. _He was just trying to help. Why did I react like that?_

Kurama stepped closer & Jenny moved her eyes to him. "I know you're scared." He glanced around the room. "You've already heard some things that probably seem…" He paused. "... unusual." He turned to one of the other people in the room. "Should we explain more? Look at her.. She's terrified."

The others watched her for a few moments and, finally, someone spoke up. "Go ahead, Kurama."

Everyone sat down in the living room & told her the most insane story. By the end of the night, Jenny realized that, no matter how crazy her unknown past might be, it could never live up to the insanity of what she's just learned about the people sitting in this living room with her!

 _How did I end up here with these people?!_


	2. Chapter 2 - The Unknown

Authors Note: These first two chapters are a bit slow, but I don't want to miss any character development. Please let me know what you think so far by leaving a review! I'd appreciate any feedback! :)

 **Chapter Two - The Unknown**

Jenny was lying in bed, wide awake, in Kurama's guest room. Just hours before she'd learned more about Kurama's friends than she'd ever imagined. Kurama, along with Hiei, Chuu, & Jin, were demons. Real frickin' demons. Yusuke was a half-demon. Kuwabara was a psychic. She couldn't even fully grasp everything yet. The story was just incredible. They'd told her all about how Yusuke had died, came back as some sort of detective, & then how he'd met all of them. It was insane. No matter what, she at least knew her past couldn't be that crazy.

She tilted her head back as she thought about the conversation she'd had earlier. She tried to put all the pieces together. Kurama was the only one she felt somewhat comfortable with so far. He'd helped her & went out of his way to make her feel safe. Kuwabara was the only other human in the room & he seemed alright, along with Yusuke. She wasn't so sure about Hiei. The way he watched her & glared…. His disdain for her was obvious. Chuu seemed too drunk to really fully realize what was going on, but he didn't seem to dislike her at least. In fact, he seemed rather amused by the entire situation. Other than Kurama, Jin was the only one who seemed genuinely concerned about her well-being.

A slight, girlish smile spread across her face at the thought of Jin. For some reason Jin made her smile. She couldn't quite put her finger on why, but she liked the way he made her feel when he'd helped her earlier.

The smile quickly disappeared as she remembered that she couldn't recall what happened to her before this night. _I can't let a handsome face pull my focus away from what really matters… what happened to me?_

Finally, she drifted off into a fitful sleep.

* * *

Jenny's blue eyes slowly fluttered open, the sunlight coming through the curtains blinding her. She felt groggy, but overall well rested compared to how she'd felt the day before. She sat up &, for the first time, realized she wasn't in her own clothes. She was wearing a loose, grey t-shirt & a pair of boys gym shorts. Assuming these were loaners from Kurama, she slid out of the blankets & stood up.

For the first time she'd been there, she felt somewhat relaxed. _I have no clue what's going on… but I have to figure it out._ With a sudden, renewed sense of purpose, she let out a deep breath  & slowly turned the door knob & walked out into the living room.

She was surprised to see a quiet room. The night before there were so many people in the living room. It seemed strange to see it so empty. Finally, her eyes settled on something… no, someone… on the couch. Jin, the red head from the night before, was sprawled on the couch, lying on his stomach. Jenny couldn't help but suppress a laugh when she saw him. He was completely passed out in an uncomfortable position, so much so that it seemed comical. Glancing around, she didn't see anyone else. _They must've gone home… or at least went into one of the other bedrooms._

She stood frozen, not knowing exactly what to do at that moment. Finally, realizing she had nothing to lose, she moved towards the kitchen. It was an open concept layout, so the kitchen was open to the living room. Jenny moved quietly, so as not to wake Jin, or anyone else in the house. She opened the freezer & found frozen waffles. _That'll work_ , she thought happily as she lifted the box out of the freezer.

As she waited for the waffles to finish browning in the toaster, she turned her eyes to the living room. Her eyes scanned the figure lying on the couch. _He really is a good looking guy… demon…._. She shook her head. What was wrong with her?! Her mind was having a hard time grasping the idea of demons, and here she was checking one out. Yesterday she wouldn't even have believed it…. But she also didn't remember anything before waking up yesterday evening.

The waffles popping out of the toaster jolted her out of her thoughts. She quickly placed the waffles onto a paper towel, not feeling comfortable enough to search for the plates in the unknown kitchen.

The sound of the waffles had made Jin's ears twitch, causing him to sit up on the couch. "Ey! You're awake!" he said happily. He stretched his arms over his head & his body casually began to float above the couch.

Jenny stared, startled. His Irish accent still surprised her. Shaking her head, pretending like she didn't notice his floating, she walked to the couch and sat at the opposite end. "Yeah.. I slept surprisingly well, once I passed out from exhaustion." Her eyes flicked towards him, not knowing what to expect.

Jin chuckled, & moved toward her end of the couch. He snatched one of the waffles from her plate & took a quick bite. Startled, Jenny pulled the plate away from him. "Hey!"

"They're too good ta think bout askin' permission before eatin'!" Jin looked slightly apologetic, but seemed to be enjoying the waffe.

Jenny surprised herself by laughing. "It's alright." They sat in silence for a moment.

"So… what d'ya think af'er last night?" Jin asked.

Sighing, Jenny replied, "I'm not really sure." She twisted her body to face him. "It doesn't seem real, but strangely the demon stuff isn't bothering me as much as the whole not knowing about my past before yesterday thing is."

Jin's blue eyes took her in. "So ya really don't 'member anythin' bout who you are or yer past 'fore ya woke up yesterday?" His Irish accent intrigued her. _I could listen to him talk forever…_ She had to shake herself out of it to continue.

She looked up into his eyes. "No… not at all." She looked down at her plate, brushing a piece of auburn hair out of her face. "I wish I did. I'm so confused. I can't even begin to describe how I'm feeling…." She trailed off. What else could she say that she hadn't said the night before?

Jenny felt a hand on her arm. She looked up & saw Jin looking at her thoughtfully. "We'll help ya figure out what's goin' on. You've got yerself a good group 'o guys here that'll keep ya safe 'til then!" He winked, with a smile that showed off his fangs. For some reason she felt tears welling up in her eyes. Suddenly, she felt arms pull her close. "Ya have nothin' ta worry about."

She liked how his arms felt around her, but something told her this wasn't what she should be doing. She was stronger than this. She pushed away from Jin's embrace & looked into his eyes. "I know… I know I'll be fine." She looked down at her hands again. "I can't remember anything, but I do know I can handle whatever's going on." She took one of his Jin's hands in hers. "I appreciate what you're doing & that you're trying to help, though. I just have to figure things out. I'll definitely need the support. I just wish I knew why I can't remember anything…." Her voice trailed off.

Jin smiled. "No worries, lass! We'll figure it all out in time!" He suddenly jumped off the couch with a burst of energy. "I know just what you need! Let's have a 'welcome home' party for you!"

Jenny looked at him suspiciously. "What do you mean?"

He excitedly sat down on the couch beside her. "Ya don't remember anythin' before being here, right?" She nodded. "So ya need ta feel welcome here! We'll have a party ta celebrate! We can invite all of our friends & help ya feel welcome!"

"Don't you think you should ask Kurama first? This is his house…" Jenny said cautiously.

"Psh…" Jin again jumped off the couch excitedly. "Kurama is already glad to have ya here, he won't mind havin' a lil' party!" He winked.

Unable to stop the smile spreading on her face, she nodded. Suddenly, he pulled her up into a standing position & stared into her eyes.

"I'm not sure what happened to ya before last night, but from how ya flinch'd & acted last night, it doesn't seem like it was any good. I want ya to know that you'll be safe here… at least while I'm 'round." He gave her a big grin & squeezed her shoulders.

For a moment all she could do was stare at him, bewildered. Finally, she wrapped her arms around his neck tightly. "Thank you…."

Jin tensed for a moment, then she felt him smile. "No worries… I hate ta see a beautiful lass in the state ya were in last night."

She pulled back, blushing. "Thanks... " She looked down nervously. "I'm not sure what happened before last night, but I do know I'm thankful that I ended up here."

Suddenly realizing that he had his arms around her waist, Jin pulled back & rubbed the back of his neck nervously with a hand. "'S no problem, really." He backed up a few steps "I'd better let go get some things ready for the party & make sure everyone knows ta stop by." He grinned at her. "Ya better be ready for a wild night!"

Before Jenny knew it, she was standing in the living room alone. A small smile reached her lips. _I wonder what tonight is going to bring….._


	3. Chapter 3 - The Party

**Chapter 3 - The Party**

After Jin had left, Jenny went back into "her" room & laid down on the bed. She stared up at the ceiling. _I guess I should really start figuring out my past. I'll be back together with everyone from last night again at this party, and who knows who else. I hate this feeling of being helpless. That's not me._

Her eyes opened wide for a moment in realization. "That's not me..," she whispered. _Well, at least I have a small understanding of my own personality…._ She chuckled, thinking about how ridiculous this all was.

"What else do I know…?" she mumbled to herself. She heard a light knock at the door that startled her out of her thoughts.

"Jenny?" Kurama's voice asked politely. The door poked open a little. "Can I come in?"

"Sure," Jenny replied, sitting up on the bed.

Kurama smoothly walked over & sat on the bed next to her. He was wearing jeans & a dark green shirt that went well with his red hair. "How do you feel today?"

Jenny shrugged. "Alright, all things considered." She sighed. "I've been trying to figure out what I remember about my past & who I am. I didn't get very far. With the party tonight…."

Kurama cut her off with a laugh. "Party? You made friends fast!"

At that moment Jenny realized Jin hadn't had a chance to talk to Kurama about the party yet. _Duh…_ "Um… this morning Jin decided he was going to throw a party here to help me get to know everyone,  & to get my mind off of everything." She looked down at her feet awkwardly. "Sorry, I feel kind of bad he didn't really run those plans by you first."

Kurama gave her a knowing smile & she looked up at him. "There's nothing to feel sorry about. With this group of guys I'm used to things like this." He put his hand on her shoulder. "Would you like me to help you out with your past? I can tell you what I've figured out so far just from last night & this morning."

For the first time since she'd woken up, Jenny's face lit up with excitement & she turned suddenly to face him. "You've discovered something?! Seriously!? I'd love it if you could help me out!" She forced herself to calm down a little & tucked a stray strand of her auburn hair behind an ear. "What do you know?"

"Well… I know you have auburn hair, blue eyes, & you're about 5 foot 3."

Jenny stared at him for a moment, incredulous. "That's it? I thought you'd found out something important!"

Again, Kurama chuckled. "I know.. I'm kidding." Jenny gave an exaggerated sigh to let him know she was annoyed. "Don't be angry. It's only been one night & I had to get some sleep after our talk last night. I came in here this morning to check on you & to see if we could talk, to try to bring up something you remember. I figured if I asked the right questions you might remember something."

"Well, that does sound better than doing nothing…" Jenny trailed off. "Go ahead & shoot! Ask me some questions!" She gave Kurama a big smile to let him know she was ready.

It felt odd answering some of the questions Kurama asked her, since he was basically a complete stranger, but she knew it was necessary. They didn't find out anything too important, but she at least felt like she understood herself a little more.

During their conversation, they discovered she was a fan of David Bowie, based on the "Blackstar" & Bowie lightning bolt she had tattooed on her left wrist. She couldn't remember anything about where she grew up, her family, or anything that she'd done, & they eventually gave up on those kinds of questions. Kurama began asking questions about her likes & dislikes. He said she needed to respond immediately so they'd know my first instinct. Through this they discovered some of the things she loved, like pizza, music, & wine.

Finally, Jenny grew weary of all the questions, especially when it became harder for her to answer. Most of them she just had no idea. One thing she did learn, though, is that she felt more confident after speaking with Kurama. She didn't say it out loud, but she realized she was more outspoken & outgoing than she'd been the night before.

 _Now that Kurama's helped me feel more comfortable, I actually feel kind of excited for this party tonight._ She felt determined to show that she was more than the frightened girl she portrayed before.

She turned to Kurama, smiling. "Thank for doing this, Kurama. Even though we didn't learn as much as I would've hoped, I do feel a bit better."

"These kinds of things take time, usually, so I'm not concerned we haven't learned much yet." He stood up & looked at the clock. "We've been here for a few hours, I should probably start getting the house ready for this party Jin's planned. I doubt he'll think about everything we'll need."

"Right…" Jenny said slowly. "Um… I don't really have any other clothes. I don't think these pajamas you loaned me are the right attire for a party. Know where I can get some new ones?"

"I'll call my friends Keiko & Botan. I'm sure one of them will have something suitable for you to wear." Kurama turned to walk to the door, but stopped, turning to look at her over his shoulder. "What kind of clothes would you prefer?"

Without thinking, she responded, "Definitely jeans.. And a tank top. A nice, cute one, since it's a party. I have to make a better impression than I did last night!"

"Well now we know something else about you," Kurama said, smiling. "I'll see what I can do. You can shower in the guest bathroom, which is right here," he pointed to the right of the bedroom. "Towels & anything you need should be in there." He turned to leave again.

"Uh, Kurama?" He stopped. "Can you have one of them bring a hair straightener & some make-up, too?" She turned to look in the mirror at herself. "I'm sure that the 'normal me' wouldn't approve of the way my hair & face look right now."

He turned & looked at her seriously for a moment. "I don't think there's anything wrong with how you look now," he paused, smiled, & quickly turned away again, walking out of the room. "But I'll see what I can do."

Jenny hadn't been prepared for how excited Keiko & Botan would be to help out. Kurama had apparently explained her 'situation' & they seemed eager to get her mind off of it. They showed up with quite the assortment of clothes, shoes, & makeup. Jenny instantly liked them & felt at ease.

As they got ready, Jenny learned a lot about the people who'd be at the party. Kurama & Jin, obviously. Yusuke, Kuwabara, & Chuu would definitely be there, along with Yukina, who they mentioned Kuwabara was dating. When she asked if the short guy with the black hair would be there, they laughed.

"Hiei isn't exactly fond of humans or anything to do with them, really," Botan laughed.

 _I got that feeling when I met him last night,_ I thought bitterly.

"I doubt he'll show up, but he can surprise you sometimes!" Botan had so much energy I sometimes had trouble keeping up with her. She was always on the move.

Finally, Jenny felt satisfied with how she looked for the party. She was wearing a pair of dark skinny jeans with a black fitted shirt. There were little peek-a-boo sections cut out on the shoulders, which made the plain black shirt more interesting. It was low cut & showed off her cleavage in a way that she didn't think was too inappropriate, but nice enough for a party. She looked at herself in the mirror. She wasn't exactly skinny, but not overweight either. _At least I have boobs_ , she thought, laughing to herself. She had on a pair of short black boots that had a slight heel, but were more comfortable than she expected. Her shoulder length auburn hair had been simply straightened, her side-swept bangs brushing just above her right eye nicely. She felt comfortable in this. _This must've been what I would wear to parties before… before all this. It's like I just knew what I'd want to wear for tonight. No question._

The three girls walked out into the living room & looked around. Yusuke & Kuwabara were already sitting on the couch, beers in hand.

"Took you ladies long enough!" Yusuke snapped, but he had a smile on his face the whole time.

"Jeez, Yusuke! Way to be rude!" Kuwabara smacked him on the side of the head, to which Yusuke responded with a glare. "Glad to see you looking more cheerful than you were last night, Jenny!"

"Thanks! I feel much better," she responded politely. Jenny looked over into the kitchen. She grinned.

Kurama was setting out red solo cups & paper plates on the kitchen counter. Next to him she saw a wide variety of wines & other alcoholic beverages. Grinning, Jenny ran over & started looking through the wine bottles.

"You see any you like? I bought a variety so we could see what your favorite is." Kurama smiled genuinely at her.

 _Wow.. he's so thoughtful!_ "This is great, Kurama! Thanks!" She immediately grabbed a wine glass  &, after a few moments, grabbed the bottle of cabernet & poured a good amount into her glass.

"We brought the pizza!" a loud voice boomed & the front door slammed open. Chuu burst in carrying an insane number of pizza boxes in his arms. He took them into the kitchen & set them down. Jin followed casually behind him, carrying a box.

Jenny turned & smiled at Kurama, knowing that he had Chuu pick up pizza because of their conversation from earlier that day. He returned her smile, then went to help Chuu.

Jenny walked over to Jin & sipped her wine. "What's in the box?"

He looked up at her & for a moment looked at her strangely. He stood up straight, then blushed slightly, rubbing the back of his neck with his hand. "Well! Don't ya clean up real nice! Ya look… amazin'!"

Taken aback, Jenny blushed furiously. "Thanks." _I always feel like I don't know how to act around this guy. The hair, his accent, his laid-back attitude, the way that shirt shows off his muscles… He's just so… attractive._ She nervously sipped her wine. Wanting to change the subject, she asked again, "What's in that box?"

Seeming to snap out of it, he shook his head & replied, "Oh, 'tis a surprise for later!" He looked at her glass. "Wine I see! Well, seems like ya already got the party started without us! I'll have ta catch up!"

"Hey, Jin! After you finish flirting, could you grab me another beer from the fridge?" Yusuke said tauntingly from the couch.

"Me, too!" Kuwabara chimed in.

His face turning almost as red as his hair, Jin hurriedly walked off into the kitchen. Jenny couldn't help but laugh a little at the situation.

The front door opened yet again & in walked Hiei, followed by a girl who I could only assume was Yukina, based on how Kuwabara's face lit up when he saw her. Immediately Kuwabara stood up & insisted that Yukina take his seat so she'd be comfortable, then asked what she wanted to drink. Giggling, Yukina accepted the seat & said she'd just like a small glass of wine. He hurriedly got her the wine & sat on the couch next to her.

"I didn't think you'd make it out here, short stuff! This doesn't seem like your kind of party!" Yusuke said to Hiei.

"Hn." Hiei casually leaned against the wall on the other side of the room. "It's not, but Yukina needed a ride here. I might as well stick around for a while. We still don't know much about that one over there." His eyes flicked over to Jenny.

 _Well, this is going to be an interesting night…._

To say it was an interesting night was the understatement of the century.

For the first part of the night, everyone just kind of sat around & chatted while eating pizza. Jenny enjoyed it because it let her get to know everyone a little better.

After a few more drinks, though, everyone was feeling more festive. Kuwabara pulled out the beer pong table & got a tournament going. Hiei, however, refused to play, saying it's not something he wanted to participate in. Unfortunately, as Jenny soon realized, this group of people were not the most fun to play beer pong with unless you had some sort of super-human powers. They had better aim & abilities than she ever could. She discovered she was a really competitive person & often yelled at the others when she felt they were "cheating" by using their powers. Finally, feeling frustrated, she just sat, sulking, & watched.

After his round of beer pong was over, Jin sat down next to Jenny & they got a chance to really talk. Jenny was thankful for the liquid courage running through her system that helped her feel more comfortable. They got to know each other a lot better &, after another hour, they were sitting side by side on the couch. Jin had his arm wrapped around her shoulder & she was leaning into him slightly as they talked. It felt good.

 _I'm not sure if this is something I should be doing, not knowing anything about who I am. Heck, I could have a boyfriend or a husband somewhere! But at this point…._ She looked over at Jin, who was talking excitedly about wanting to take Jenny to this movie he's been wanting to see. She smiled as she watched him. _It feels right…. And there's no need to think of this as anything more than flirting at a party. Alcohol is involved, anyway._

When the others tired of beer pong, they all moved back over to sit down in the living room. Jin & Jenny got more than a few strange looks as the others realized how they were sitting. Jenny noticed, though, that when Kurama looked their way, he went back into the kitchen, saying he needed to put the pizza in the fridge.

It was obvious that everyone in the room was pretty drunk, although the demons seemed to show it less than the humans did. Kuwabara was having trouble standing at this point, but Chuu, who was the drinking champion of the world, apparently, seemed to be his same old self despite drinking double what everyone else had.

Jin finally stood up & said, "I think 'tis time!" He jumped over to the box he'd brought. Jenny leaned forward, eager to see what was inside. He pulled out a black karaoke machine. "Karaoke! That always livens up a party!"

In an instant you could see Kuwabara, Botan, Chuu, & Keiko explode with excitement, while Yusuke & Hiei's faces dropped. Kurama just laughed & Yukina smiled.

 _Do I sing? I wonder what my voice sounds like._

"Who wants ta go first?" Jin said, grinning ear to ear & floating slightly above the ground in excitement.

"I refuse." Hiei said, annoyed.

Chuu pushed his way over to Jin & stood next to him, looking out at everyone else. "If you want to play, put your name on a slip of paper. We'll pull names to see who's going to sing! If your name is called & you want to do a group song, you can ask others to join you!"

Everyone quickly agreed & soon Kuwabara, Botan, Chuu, Keiko, Jenny, Jin, & even a reluctant Yusuke were all ready to sing. Hiei refused & Yukina decided she'd rather watch. _This should be interesting..._

And it was. A very drunk Kuwabara sang a few songs first, including "Photograph", which he sang directly to Yukina. Botan & Keiko sang a few duets & Jin & Chuu did as well. As Jin sang, Jenny couldn't help but grin from ear to ear. _Alright.. So I really do like him. A lot._ She looked around the room at all of the smiling faces. She'd only been here for 24 hours  & it already felt like she was a part of their group. They'd accepted her (well, all except for Hiei).

 _I don't know anything about my past, but I do know that I'm at least happy now. I just need to enjoy life in this moment._

The night went by quickly & finally everyone started to tire out. Yusuke & Keiko, who lived just a few blocks away, decided to head home around 3am. Botan, Chuu, & Kuwabara decided to go with them & sleep on their floor. Yukina was going to join, but Hiei, who hadn't drank anything that night, said he'd drive her home. Kuwabara looked defeated, but didn't push the matter. Finally, the only people left in the house were Jin, Jenny, & Kurama.

Jenny yawned & slowly walked into the kitchen, where Kurama was throwing away a beer bottle. "Need any help?" she asked.

Kurama looked up at her & gave a small smile. "I can manage. There's no rush to clean this up now. I'll clean up in the morning. Thanks, though. You look exhausted. You should try to get some sleep."

 _I'm so drunk_ , Jenny thought. _I do need to get some sleep_. Jenny jumped when Jin suddenly came up behind her  & wrapped his arms around her waist, leaning his head over her shoulder next to her.

"What 're we doin' next?!" Jin asked cheerfully. _How does he still have this much energy after staying up this late & drinking this much? Demons…._ Jenny laughed.

Kurama, looking a little uncomfortable, said he was going to bed & immediately went into his room after saying goodnight to them.

Realizing she was now along with Jin, Jenny suddenly felt very self-conscious. "I should probably get some sleep, too. It's been a long day." She tucked a piece of hair back behind her ear.

"Yer cute when ya do that." Jin said quietly.

"When I do what?"

"When ya mess wit' yer hair like ya jus' did," Jin tucked another piece of hair carefully behind Jenny's ear. His touch made her shiver. She closed her eyes & looked down, unsure what to do or say. His fingers slid down the side of her face & lifted her chin up so she was looking into his eyes again.

Suddenly, she felt his lips pressed against hers. Her back was suddenly against the wall of the kitchen & his other arm was wrapped tightly around her waist, pressing her into him. The warmth of him felt good against her body. She moaned slightly against his lips, at first in surprise, but then in longing. _Damn this alcohol… I can't even stop myself. Do I even want to? It feels so good._ She wrapped her arms around his neck, entwining fingers on one hand in his hair  & clutching him closer with the other.

Still pressed to Jin's body, kissing him, she felt herself being pulled across the room. Before she knew it, she found herself on the bed with Jin on top of her. He pulled his head back slightly & slid his lips to her neck, kissing her gently at first, then nibbling slightly with his fangs as he moved. His hands slid across her body. _I don't think I could stop this even if I wanted to…._ Her body responded to everything he was doing. She felt her hips pressing into his, her arms wrapped around his lower back, clutching at him.

Finally, he pulled back & looked into her eyes, trying to catch his breath. "Jenny… I want you." He leaned in & passionately kissed her.

She whispered against his lips, "I want you, too, Jin…"

Jin sat up & quickly pulled off his shirt, throwing it onto the floor. The sight just excited Jenny even more. _He really is incredible…._ She quickly pulled her shirt off over her head, deciding to leave her bra on for the moment. Jin growled with excitement as he pressed into her for another kiss, sliding his tongue across hers. She felt his hands glide across her stomach  & down to rest on top of her jeans. His fingers started working at the button & zipper, then slid the jeans down her legs. She watched him eagerly, almost panting, as he stood up & slid his pants off quickly. _So demons wear boxer briefs like humans do,_ she thought.

Finally, both just wearing their undergarments, Jin moved on top of her, pressing himself into her, kissing her neck again. Now she could really feel how much he wanted her by the bulge pressing against her inner thigh.

His hand moved down to graze the top of her underwear & suddenly her breath caught in her throat. "Stop," she whispered.

"What…?" Jin muttered, as he slid a finger along the edge of her underwear.

"Stop, please!" Panic started taking over. Her heart was racing & she felt like she couldn't breathe. _Is this a panic attack._ _Why am I acting like this!? I do want Jin!_

"I don't want to stop." Jin pulled back & looked into her eyes, but this time he seemed different. It didn't seem like the same Jin that was just passionately kissing her. She felt herself tense & she tried to pull back away from him. He pressed her down onto the bed firmly. "I deserve this…" Even his voice seemed different. _What's going on!?_

She tried to yell out for Kurama, but Jin's hand suddenly clasped firmly over her mouth. His other hand worked to pull her underwear down. Jenny cried frantically, tears streaming down her cheek. A memory flashed in her mind of.. Someone.. Pressing down onto her like this. She didn't like it. She wanted it to stop. Why wasn't he stopping? Jin seemed to care for her earlier that night! What's happening… She tried pushing & kicking him, but Jin was much stronger than her.

As his hand slid uncaringly into underwear, she heard the ring of steel. Jin turned toward the sound & Jenny saw a person standing in the doorway through the gap between them. _Hiei…?_

"Get off of her, Jin." Hiei seemed to be in a bad mood & had his katana ready. "What are you doing?!"

And as quickly as Jin had changed earlier, his personality seemed to snap back into place. His eyes flickered around the room & finally came to rest on Jenny's tear stained face. "What the…?" Jin seemed confused as he looked down at Jenny. "What's happenin'?"

"Shouldn't you know?" Hiei asked angrily. "I'll say it again, get off of her."

Jin frantically climbed off off Jenny & stood next to the bed, looking confused, his eyes never leaving her. "Jenny… I..."

Jenny couldn't think of what to say other than, "I begged you to stop.. But you didn't…"

"The last thing I remember was me kissing you layin' in bed… it's like I… blacked out or somethin'…" Jin frantically ran his fingers through his hair.

"I think you should leave." Hiei stated, glaring at Jin from the doorway.

Jin turned, grabbing Jenny's hand. Flinching, Jenny pulled away & moved so that her back was against the wall, pulling the blanket up around her shoulders. The flashback she'd had kept running through her mind. _What am I remembering…?_

Jin looked away. "I'm sorry, Jenny… I… I don' know what happened." He clenched his fists, obviously angry with himself. He slid on his pants & walked towards the door, holding his shirt in one hand. He stopped, shaking with anger. "No words can make this a'right, but I promise I'll figure out what happen'd." He looked over his shoulder at her. "I promise." He walked out of the room & disappeared.

Jenny broke down, sobbing. _What the hell is going on?!_

Hiei took a few steps closer, then stopped. "After I dropped off Yukina I came back here.. I had a bad feeling." He sighed. "I'll leave you & tell Kurama what happened." He turned & walked to the doorway, then stopped. "I'm assuming you won't want to be bothered again tonight, so I'll tell him to leave you alone. That you'll speak with him in the morning. I'll make sure he listens."

"Thank you… Hiei…" Jenny mutterred quietly.

"Hn.. What else was I going to do?"

Hiei closed the door behind him & Jenny was suddenly wrapped in darkness.

 _What just happened?_ She laid on the bed, not even bothering to get dressed,  & cried until she fell asleep.


	4. Chapter 4 - Moving On

**Author's Note:** So my break is finally ending. :( Back to work for me! I've been updating pretty frequently, but I'll have less time to write  & edit from now on. I'll try to update at least once a week, though. :) Again, I love reviews & want to hear your thoughts/opinions about the story!

 **Chapter 4 - Moving On**

Jenny woke up that morning feeling miserable. She had a terrible headache from the wine she'd had the night before, but she also felt crushed by the events with Jin. _I don't understand…. I know I wanted him. I like him. A lot. So why did I react that way? And what were those flashbacks? Memories coming back?_ She shook her head & rubbed the sleep from her eyes. _And why did Jin's personality seem to change like that…_

She forced herself to get out of bed, slid on her pajamas & opened the door. As she turned to walk toward the kitchen, she almost tripped over Kurama. He was sitting on the floor, leaning his back against the wall next to her door. He looked exhausted.

"Kurama…? What are you doing sitting on the floor?" Jenny asked, but them realization dawned on her. She turned slightly away from him & folded her arms in front of her chest, uncomfortable. "Hiei told you, didn't he." She glanced back at him. "Were you here the whole night?"

Kurama stood up, a bit wobbly from sitting on the floor all night. From the looks of it he hadn't gotten any sleep. "I wanted to make sure you were safe. Hiei insisted that I leave you alone for the night. He said you were upset. It's unusual for Hiei to show any kind of respect for someone like that, so I felt it was important enough to listen to his request." He looked like he was going to put his hand on her shoulder, but pulled back, thinking better of it. "I was worried Jin might come back. I wanted to be here, if he did."

"Oh…" was all Jenny could think of to say.

"I'm so sorry, Jenny… I have no clue why I didn't hear anything or why I didn't wake up." Kurama's voice had a hint of anger to it.

Jenny turned to face him, her arms still held tight around her. "It's not your fault, Kurama. I'm glad Hiei showed up when he did, though." She moved to sit on the end of the couch.

Kurama sat down next to her, watching her closely. "It's not okay. What made Jin think he could do something like that?" He turned his face to look out the window. "And I thought he was a decent person."

"Kurama… I think something's wrong with Jin."

"Obviously!"

"No, I mean…" she wasn't quite sure how to word it. "Last night he mentioned that he couldn't remember doing any of it. He said he blacked out. He looked horrified! When he was…." she paused, trying to gather the courage to talk about what happened. "When I asked him to stop & he kept going, his personality seemed to change. It's like he was a completely different person. His eyes looked different. His voice sounded different." She sighed, frustrated. "I don't know how to explain it. It just wasn't him. I know I haven't known him long, but it was a very distinct difference."

Kurama looked at her for a moment before speaking. "He did drink a lot last night, but I also know Jin. He wasn't drunk enough to have a sudden personality change like you sometimes see in humans. Maybe you're right.. But what could've caused something like that?"

"I have no clue." Jenny pulled her knees up against her chest, hugging them. "If that's true, though, in an odd way, I kind of feel bad for Jin. If it wasn't him… somehow. But if it was…" She shuttered. "Kurama.. I think I also had flashbacks. I think they were memories. Not good ones. I was lying down & someone was on top of me, holding me down, forcing themselves on me.. Like Jin was trying to do." A tear slowly rolled down her cheek. "I feel like what was happening with Jin brought back some bad memories. I'm not even sure I want to know what else happened in my past, now."

"Can I hug you?" Kurama suddenly asked in a quiet voice.

"Huh?" Her eyes immediately flew to Kurama's & her body tensed.

He turned his body slightly toward her. "You had a terrible night & I want to help, but I don't want to make you feel worse. I'm sure after last night, & those flashbacks, someone touching you without asking wouldn't be appreciated. I'd like to hug you."

Suddenly tears welled up in her eyes & she wrapped her arms around Kurama's neck, sobbing into his shoulder. "Thank you…"

A little surprised, Kurama wrapped his arms around her back & held her. "I know you're hurting & scared, for many reasons now, but I want you to know that I'm here for you. I'll protect you."

* * *

The weeks flew by with no sign of Jin. Kurama let Jenny stay in the spare bedroom. For a while, she just wanted to stay in by herself, but Botan & Keiko finally convinced her to get out of the house. They took her shopping for clothes & other things she'd need, which Kurama insisted that he pay for. After a few weeks, Jenny started to feel like herself again. Well, as far as she could tell, anyway. In the evenings, Kurama & Jenny, sometimes accompanied by a few of the others, would watch movies, play board games, & just spend time talking.

She felt completely comfortable with Kurama now, since he was helping her get back to "normal" again. It felt nice. Part of her started to wonder if maybe he liked her, but she kept pushing that thought out of her mind. She kept thinking about Jin, wondering if he was going to show up, & what she'd do if he did. _I still like him, more than I should after what happened._ She couldn't help but wonder if something had kind of taken over him that night. Something still didn't feel right.

"We have a surprise for you all!" Botan had thrown open the front door & burst in, smiling & waving around an envelope excitedly. Keiko walked in, more calmly, behind her.

Kurama, Jenny, Yusuke, Yukina, & Kuwabara were all seated in Kurama's living room, watching the TV show Ghost Adventures. Hiei was dozing off in the recliner, but jolted awake when Botan noisily entered the home.

"Jeez!" Kuwabara yelled, clutching his chest. "Don't you see we're watching this scary show! You scared the crap outta us!"

"You mean she scared _you_ , not us." Yusuke laughed & rolled his eyes. "And this show isn't scary, it's more of a comedy."

"Sorry guys, but we do have a surprise for you!" Keiko took the envelope from Botan & opened it. "We scored enough tickets for all of us to attend the big "Adult Prom" New Years Eve event this weekend! They said they were sold out, but we found these people selling some online!"

Kuwabara, seeming to forget his anger, jumped up & grabbed two of the tickets happily. "Sweet! This thing looked awesome on those commercials!" He practically skipped over to Yukina & grabbed one of her hands in both of his. "Will you go with me, my sweet Yukina?"

Giggling, Yukina nodded. "Of course I will, Kuwabara."

"Hn. I hope you don't actually think I'll be attending this." Hiei growled.

"We assumed you probably wouldn't go, but got an extra ticket for you anyway, Hiei." Botan bounced over to him & playfully patted him on the head, causing Hiei to move in the blink of an eye to a different location in the room.

"So what exactly is this "Adult Prom" New Years Eve thing?" Jenny asked, finally.

"It's this big event that the city puts on every year for New Years Eve. It's pretty much just a chance for adults to get dressed up, dance, & drink. It sounds like it's always a good time, but we've never gone because it always sells out so fast!" Yusuke explained, then said to Botan & Keiko, "Nice job, ladies!"

"Do you have to have a date for something like this?" Jenny asked cautiously, not sure what she'd do if she had to bring a date. _Jin's still not back & even if he were… Jeez… what am I thinking? _

The mood in the room became a little more tense as everyone thought to the events that had occurred a few weeks before. Thankfully, everyone knew better than to touch on that subject.

"Of course not! Lots of people go single. But I'll be going with Yusuke-" Yusuke gave out a loud whistle. Keiko gave him a stern look. "-If he doesn't ruin his chances by acting like that."

"Aw, c'mon Keiko!" Yusuke whined. "I was just kidding."

Keiko continued, ignoring Yusuke. "Kuwabara will be going with Yukina, but Hiei, Chuu, Kurama & Botan, as far as I know, don't have dates."

"Well, I was actually planning on inviting Koenma." Gasps came from the others in the room, to which she raised her voice in reply & put her hands on her hips. "As a friend! I didn't think he'd want to miss out! And Jenny hasn't met him yet. It'd be the perfect chance."

"Suuuuuuure." Yusuke laughed teasingly.

"We didn't know we were going to get these tickets, so we don't have anything to wear for it," Keiko said, speaking directly to Jenny. "We're going to look at dresses tomorrow. Want to join us? The event is only three days away!"

Kurama laughed quietly. "Any excuse for her to go shopping…"

Jenny smiled, feeling happier than she had in quite a while. "Sure!"

 _Just the distraction I needed right now_ , she thought to herself.

After everyone had left that night, Jenny & Kurama were cleaning up the mess that had been left behind.

"Everything okay, Kurama?" Jenny asked. "You seem really quiet."

"Of course," he smiled up at her as he threw away an empty bottle. "I've just been a little lost in my own thoughts." He laughed. "Nothing that unusual for me, really."

Jenny smiled. "What've you been thinking about, if you don't mind me asking?"

"Well…" Kurama stopped what he was doing, his back to her. "I was kind of wondering if you wanted to go to this Adult Prom with me?" His voice was quiet. He turned to look at her. "But if you don't feel comfortable with that, it won't hurt my feelings. Don't feel obligated."

 _Kurama actually seems nervous. So unlike him!_ _But I guess this kind of answers my question about if he likes me or not._ She watched him for a moment, not quite sure what to say. _I'm not sure I really like him in that way, but I guess it wouldn't hurt to just go to the dance together as friends._

She smiled & put a hand on his shoulder. "I'd love to, Kurama." Kurama let out a relieved breath. "But I want to be completely honest with you. There's a part of me that, for some reason, is still stuck on Jin." When Kurama made a move to speak, she put a hand up to pause him. "I know, I know. It's stupid & I shouldn't be, but I wanted to be honest. This going to the dance thing.. It has to be just as friends, okay?"

He smiled at her, but she could see a hint of hurt in his eyes. "I completely understand. I'm not the type of person who'd force my feelings on others." _Ouch…_ Realizing how harsh his words had sounded, he averted his eyes. "I'm sorry. That was uncalled for." He took one of her hands in his. "I care about you. A lot. But I also want to respect your feelings. I'll be here no matter what. I can wait."

Jenny gave Kurama a small smile. "Thanks… I'm just not in that place right now. Maybe with time…" She pulled her hand back from his carefully. "I'd better get some sleep. I have a busy day of shopping tomorrow with Keiko & Botan. I'll need to find the perfect dress, since I know my date will surely be wearing something dapper, like always." She gave him a playful smile.

* * *

"What?! You're going with Kurama!?" Botan said excitedly.

The girls had gone looking for dresses, shoes & jewelry at quite a few stores. Then, after finding the perfect outfits for the adult prom, they'd decided to stop for lunch.

"Yeah.. as friends, though." Jenny mumbled as she took a bit of her pizza.

"I just _knew_ he had a thing for you!" Botan squealed happily.

"Do you like him?" Keiko asked thoughtfully. "You said as friends?"

"Well.. " Jenny sighed, not sure how much she wanted to get into. "After what happened with Jin, I feel like I should hate him, right? But I don't. I still have this feeling that something else is going on with him. I still feel pulled to him, in a way. I don't think I'm really in a good place to start thinking about dating anyone else or whatever. Kurama's a great guy, but I just don't get that same feeling with him that I did with Jin." She looked up at the two sitting across from her. "Is it wrong to go to the dance with him when I'm feeling like this?"

"I don't think it's wrong, but you'll need to be careful. Don't lead him on." Keiko responded. "But I get where you're coming from. You had a real connection with Jin and -"

"-And even though he turned out to be a real dirt bag-" Botan said, disgusted.

Keiko gave Botan a glare that told her to stop. "-And even though things turned out like they did, you should trust your instincts. You never know…"

"I think Kurama is a million times better for you than Jin was. A guy like that…" Botan folded her arms in front of her.

"I know." Jenny looked down at her plate. "I just can't help how I'm feeling. I don't even know anything about my past yet. I feel like my love life can take a breather for a while so I can figure things out."

"Agreed!" Keiko smiled & held her wine glass up to cheers the others. "Let's just focus on having a great time on New Years Eve! Cheers!"

* * *

New Years Even came fast & Jenny soon found herself looking into the mirror, getting ready to leave. She was wearing a black strapless dress that ended a few inches above her knees, a silver necklace with matching earrings, & black heels that she knew weren't going to stay on the whole night. _Why do heels that looks this great have to be so uncomfortable_ , she thought. She'd kept her hair simple & elegant by straightening it & adding a braid into her bangs. She also kept her makeup pretty much normal, just adding a little blush & bronzer, as well as a smokey eye & a light pink lipstick.

Finally, feeling as ready as she was ever going to be, she walked out into the living room. Everyone else seemed to be ready to go. Hiei, of course, was nowhere in sight. _Not sure why I even bothered to look for him_ , Jenny scolded herself mentally.

"Sorry to keep you all waiting!" Jenny smiled, grabbing her jacket & purse.

"We just got here, so no worries!" Keiko grinned back at her happily.

"Ready?" Kurama strode up next to her, looking very handsome in a dark grey suit.

She smiled as he offered his arm to her. "Definitely! Let's go!"

The group walked outside & all climbed into the limo that Yusuke had rented for the group.

"Wooo! Let's party! These people aren't gonna know what hit 'em when we arrive!" Chuu laughed loudly & popped open a bottle of champagne.


	5. Chapter 5 - The Dance

**Author's Note** : I know this chapter's a bit short. I have less time to write now, so my chapters may need to be shorter like this if I want to update more often. I'll try to get one more chapter up this weekend, but we'll see! Let me know what you think! I really like how the ending of this chapter turned out.

 **Chapter 5 - The Dance**

"I've gotta take a break! My feet are KILLING me!" Jenny said loudly over the music to Keiko. The pair, along with Botan, walked over to their table & sat down, sliding their heels off.

Since they'd arrived, the three girls had spent most of their time dancing together & enjoying the abundance of wine options. Other than Chuu, the boys started off their night refusing to do much dancing, but once the alcohol kicked in they weren't shy about getting out onto the dance floor.

"I can't believe they're out there doing a dance off right now. They're embarrassing themselves." Keiko sighed, exasperated.

Jenny looked over to where the boys were in the middle of the dance floor. Yusuke, Chuu, Kuwabara, Koenma, & a few other guys she assumed they'd just met that night were all trying to out-dance each other by doing crazy & hilarious dance moves.

"Where'd your date go?" Botan asked Jenny.

"I'm not really sure…"

"You guys haven't really danced much since we've been here. It's almost midnight!" Keiko stated, taking another sip of her drink.

"Yeah, I'm not too upset about that, really. It feels a little awkward." Jenny said, adjusting the top of her dress. _Thing dress is amazing, but the maintenance is frustrating,_ she thought as she checked to make sure everything was in place.

"Awkward how?" Keiko asked.

"Well, when he asked me to go to the dance I told him I wanted it to just be as friends & that I wasn't totally over Jin. I think he feels weird about it. And I feel like he's just waiting for me to get over Jin so he can swoop in." Jenny took a big sip of her wine. She was trying to pace herself, but it was getting more difficult as the night when on. _Damn this prosecco for being so good._

Suddenly she felt a hand on her shoulder. Jumping slightly, Jenny looked up & saw that it was Kurama. "Care to dance?" He smiled down at her.

 _I feel so guilty being here with him. Why did I agree to this? He likes me & I just don't feel the same, _she thought. She steeled her resolve. _But I'm here & I agreed to it. I need to be a good date & enjoy the night. He's been amazing to me since.. Everything happened._

"Sure!" She smiled back at him, stood up, & smoothed out her dress. Allowing him to take her hand, he led her out to the dance floor. The song changed as they were walking out to "Let's Dance" by David Bowie. She quickly looked over at Kurama & he gave her a knowing smirk.

"Did you request this?" Jenny asked grinning ear to ear, turning to look at him.

"I somehow knew this would be a great way to get you out here to dance."

She gave him a smile as she began dancing. "You're always so thoughtful." She began singing along with the lyrics as Kurama laughed & danced with her.

The pair danced for a few more songs before a slower song came on.

"Alright ladies & gentlemen! Just a few more songs before midnight, so start pairing up & get out here & dance with your special someone!" the DJ boomed.

Jenny & Kurama looked awkwardly at each other for a moment before Jenny took one of his arms, placed it around her waist & wrapped her arms around his neck. _Might as well…._ _It does feel good to have his arms around me. He's been a good friend & he does care about me._

"You sure you're okay with this?" Kurama whispered to her as they danced. He moved one hand to her face & moved a piece of hair away from her eyes.

She smiled at him genuinely. "I'm fine with it. I trust you." She moved in closer to him & laid her head on his shoulder. Kurama wrapped his arms around her waist & they danced in silence.

Jenny looked around the ballroom as they danced. She saw Chuu, as noisy as ever, trying to convince a group of attractive ladies that one or more of them should be dancing with him. Jenny couldn't help but giggle. Then she saw Kuwabara & Yukina dancing together. _They're perfect for each other._ She smiled as the two kissed  & then glanced around for Keiko & Yusuke. As she looked for them, she caught sight of someone she hadn't expected to see there.

 _Hiei?!_ She lifted her head up. He was seated in a chair in the corner, glaring right at Kurama  & Jenny.

"Hiei's here," Jenny said, motioning with a tilt of her head towards the corner. "He doesn't look very happy."

"That's odd…." Kurama mutterred. "He's never gone to one of these events before. I'm not sure why he'd start now." Looking reluctant to break the physical contact he had with Jenny, he asked, "Should we go see what he's up to?"

Jenny nodded & moved her arms from Kurama's neck. "Thanks for the dance."

"It was my pleasure," Kurama reached for her hand & kissed it lightly, smiling.

The ballroom was really loud now, due to the amount of alcohol it seemed everyone had consumed. It was a sold out event. _Midnight's almost here,_ Jenny thought. _Almost a new year.. A new start maybe._

Blushing a little, she turned quickly to start walking toward Hiei. Deciding that Kurama should lead the way over to him, she slowed, letting him catch up & move in front of her.

"Well, this is an unusual sight." Kurama said to Hiei when they reached him.

Hiei, his arms folded over his chest, flicked a glance over to Jenny, then looked up at Kurama. "I wanted to keep an eye on things."

Jenny felt her face flush with anger. _Why does it feel like he's always keeping an eye on me.. Like I'm about to do something bad? What have I ever done to him?_

"What's that supposed to mean?" Kurama asked, with obvious annoyance.

"That's my business, not yours." Hiei glared back up at Kurama.

Jenny noticed he hadn't dressed up for the occasion & was wearing his normal black outfit. _He had to have used the ticket Keiko had given him to get in, though… Meaning he accepted it from her. He'd been planning on coming all along. Why?_

Kurama sighed, "Alright Hiei.. you keep your secrets. Just behave yourself. We don't need to have any drama or violence tonight." He smiled back at Jenny, but it was obvious he was still concerned. "Let's go back out & finish that dance?"

Hiei gave an annoyed sigh & turned his head away from them. The song had changed & was now more fast paced.

Jenny gave Hiei a more-than-annoyed glare before turning back to face Kurama. "Let's go."

Before she knew it, Kurama had grabbed her hand & started leading her back to the dance floor. She had to walk fast to keep up, which wasn't all that easy in her heels. "Slow down a bit, please, Kurama. These heels are killer!"

Kurama stopped & looked back at her over his shoulder. "Sorry.. I didn't realize." He turned, sighed, & put his hands on her shoulders. "Let's just enjoy the rest of the night. We shouldn't let Hiei's odd behavior distract us."

She smiled up at him, trying to lighten the mood. "Hiei who?" Kurama laughed & the two once again began dancing, this time a little less awkwardly. _The nerves about tonight have finally started to wear off a bit._ Jenny felt relieved.

As the two laughed & danced together for a few songs, the DJ suddenly stopped the music & boomed through the speakers, "Alright ladies & gents! It's that time! One minute until midnight! Find your special someone & get ready to count down with us!"

Hurriedly, Jenny said, "Let's go find the others!" She took off toward where she saw Keiko & Yusuke. Kurama followed & eventually the whole group, minus Hiei, were back together.

"30 seconds!" the DJ yelled over the speakers.

It was obvious that everyone was paired up & ready for their New Years kiss. Yusuke & Keiko, Botan & Koenma, Yukina & Kuwabara, Chuu & some random dark haired girl, who were both obviously wasted & hanging all over each other. Jenny looked around awkwardly, not sure what to do.

She felt fingers entwine with hers. She looked over & saw Kurama standing next to her, smiling, but looking more nervous than she'd ever seen him. "We don't have to if you don't want to, but just know I'm here."

She smiled back at him. "Thanks." _How does he always know the right thing to say? But can I actually going to kiss him at midnight? Wouldn't that be leading him on? One kiss couldn't hurt, could it? Just as friends?_

The countdown had begun & Jenny turned, put her arms around Kurama's neck, waiting for the New Year. It felt like the longest ten seconds ever. She felt his arms slip around her waist.

"4...3…!" The DJ boomed with everyone chanting along with him, throwing their hands up into the air. From the corner of her eye she thought she saw Hiei moving on the edge of the dance floor. _That's impossible._

Kurama inclined his head down toward her & just as Jenny was about to close her eyes for their kiss, she caught a glimpse of someone just over Kurama's shoulder. Her eyes snapped open wide & she pulled back from Kurama, pushing her hands against his chest in surprise.

"Happy New Year!" The DJ & everyone in the room yelled. All around them everyone was kissing & cheering, but the world had seemed to stop for a moment.

He stood there behind Kurama, staring wide-eyed at the two of them, his arms at his sides, hands clenched in fists. "It seems like I've missed a lot…" While his body language showed obvious anger, his voice was quiet, almost like he was afraid to speak to her.

She couldn't believe it. She felt a tear slip down her cheek. "Jin?!," she whispered, shocked. _This can't be happening…_


	6. Chapter 6 - Relief & Uncertainty

**Author's Note:** Thanks for the feedback to those who've reviewed! I'd love it even more if I had fewer "guest" reviews. ;) Someone asked if this story takes place in Japan & if Jenny spoke Japanese. Honestly, as dumb as it may sound, I hadn't really thought about it. Based on the fact that this chapter mentions that Genkai's somewhat nearby it'd have to be Japan, so yes, it's in Japan & Jenny speaks Japanese. More about her past will be revealed at some point. Enjoy!

Oh yeah! I changed my username, for those of you that noticed. It was time for a change & I love Tasuki from Fushigi Yugi, so I thought, why not! :)

 **Chapter 6 - Relief & Uncertainty**

It all happened so fast, but it felt like everything was happening in slow motion all at the same time to Jenny. She stared at Jin, eyes wide, unable to move, not sure what to do. _Why is he here? How…?_ The celebration around her continued. Music blasting. People singing  & shouting. Kissing. But everything around her seemed to slow down & blur together.

Kurama, looking confused & realizing something was wrong, turned around to see where Jenny was looking. In the same instance, Jenny realized that Hiei was on the other side of her, watching Jin cautiously, but saying nothing. When Kurama saw who was standing just a few feet away from them, he protectively stepped in between him & Jenny. The others, realizing something was amiss, turned & took in the situation, surprised, but not saying a word.

Jenny felt tears on her cheeks, but she still didn't move. _Why do I feel so guilty? Why am I the one feeling bad about Jin seeing me almost kiss Kurama? He's the one who hurt me, who almost… I have no reason to feel bad, so why do I?_ Her heart felt like it was being crushed in a fist. She couldn't breathe.

"Jin, what the-!" Yusuke stepped out toward them, but Kurama put a hand out to stop him.

"How dare you show your face here after what you did." The anger radiating from Kurama was terrifying. Jenny took her eyes off of Jin to look at Kurama. _His tone…. I didn't know he could even sound like this._

Jin, keeping his eyes on Jenny the entire time, pleaded, "Please, give me a chance ta explain. Somethin' was wrong. I figured out-"

"There's no excuse for what you did." Kurama interrupted Jin angrily. "How can you think any of us would let you near her again?! You deserve worse than us just leaving you be like we have. You're lucky you got off that easily. And now you show up here wanting to talk to her?!"

He took a step toward Jin, but Jenny, surprising even herself, grabbed Kurama's forearm with a hand. "Kurama, wait, please." He stopped & looked down at her. _The anger in his eyes is terrifying._

Seeing the tears on her face, he took a deep breath & said quietly, "We can't let him get away with it."

She put her other hand on his arm, gripping him tighter. She tried to keep her voice steady, but it still came out weaker than she'd hoped. "Remember our talk right after…" She swallowed. "...Right after Jin had left? I said I felt like something was wrong with the whole thing.. That there was something more to it?"

Kurama sighed. "Yes, but-"

"I need to hear him out. It might not change anything, but I need to hear what he has to say. Please. Let me do this," she looked away from him, tears welling up all over again. "I need to figure this out."

They all stood their quietly for a moment until Jin broke the silence. "Jenny, there was somethin' else wrong. Please give me a chance ta explain. It doesn't make what happen'd any easier or get rid of the pain I caused ya, but I need ta tell ya. I _have_ to. I couldn't live with myself if ya thought-" his voice broke, catching Jenny off guard. She looked up at him to see that he was shaking. "-if ya thought I'd hurt ya on purpose. I care 'bout ya." His eyes flicked to Kurama momentarily before resting back on her. He clenched a fist again, as if trying to maintain control of his emotions. "I can understand if ya want nothin' to do with me aft'r this. I've caused a lot o' pain. But please, at least hear me out."

Jenny moved her hands from Kurama's arm & turned toward Jin. She forced her voice to be a little stronger. "I'll hear you out, but not in here. Can we go outside?" While the party was still going on, it was obvious that some guests were starting to notice the drama unfolding in their corner of the dance floor. It made her uncomfortable.

"Jenny, you can't go anywhere with him! It's not safe!" She heard Botan's voice, but didn't respond.

She felt a hand on her shoulder, but didn't bother to look to see who it was. She couldn't take her eyes off of Jin at this point. _I should be more scared right now, shouldn't I? He tried to force himself on me._

"Botan's right, Jenny," she heard Kurama's voice again, but this time most of the anger was gone. This time he sounded… almost hurt, maybe? "I can't let you go anywhere with him without one of us. I'll go with you."

"I'm not so sure that's a good idea, Kurama." Jin spoke up, this time in a more firm voice. "I'm not sure you're goin' ta be the best person to be 'round me right 'bout now." His eyes watched Kurama intensely.

"I'll go," a voice said.

The group turned to see that Hiei had been the one to speak. "Why?" Jenny asked, surprised that he'd want to get involved.

"I have no desire to deal with these kinds of pointless issues, but I do feel like it's necessary to have someone to monitor this situation before I have to step in, again," Hiei said matter-of-factly. "I'll go with her, but I'll watch from a distance. I don't need to listen in on their conversation, but I'll be there to make sure nothing happens. Is that satisfactory, Kurama?" At that moment, Jenny felt an immense sense of gratitude to Hiei.

Kurama, keeping his eyes on Jin, took a moment to think. "That will be fine. But if anything goes wrong, you'd better tell me, Hiei. I'll be there in an instant." Speaking to Jin he said, "If you hurt her again, I promise you-"

"I won't hurt her again," Jin said, his voice softer this time. He turned to Jenny & reached a hand out for her, wanting her to take it. She flinched at the sudden movement, surprising even herself. Jin slowly pulled his hand back, looking startled. "Sorry.. I didn't think…" He turned toward the door, looking less certain than he had moments earlier. "There's a park right next to here. We can talk there." He turned from her & started walking.

After a moment, she took a step forward, glancing over to Keiko & Botan & giving them a small smile to let them know she was okay. Hiei followed close behind her. They stepped outside into the cold night & walked in silence to the park on the next block over.

Jenny found herself sitting on one end of a park bench with Jin on the opposite end. Hiei was perched in a tree quite a distance away. The two sat in silence for a long while before Jenny felt Jin's eyes on her.

"Ya look beautiful," Jin said quietly. "I mean, ya were beautiful 'fore, but tonight ya look even more amazin'"

Ignoring his compliment, she said, "Jin, I need to know what's going on." She stared down at her feet, not quite feeling able to look back at him.

Jin sighed. "After.. After Hiei came in & I left, I was so confused. I don't even remember everythin'. It's like I blacked out & I was missin' part of the night. I remember us kissin', goin' to the bed, & we were about ta…" He paused, closing his eyes. "I remember ya askin' me to stop, but that's the last thing I remember. It's just blank aft'r that. The next thing I remember was standin' next to the bed wit' Hiei in tha doorway." He turned toward Jenny, his eyes & voice pleading. "I'm so sorry, Jenny. No matter if I remember it or not, it still happen'd. Ya were still hurt. I wish I could change it."

Finally gaining the courage to lift her face & look him in the eyes, she stated in an even tone, "You said you found out what was wrong." _I can't let myself get drawn in by his emotions… or mine. I have to be strong._

Jin ran his fingers through his hair then began to speak again. "After I left, I wasn't sure where ta go, so I went ta Genkai's."

"I know that name. Kurama told me about her."

"Well, I told 'er what happen'd &, o' course, she yell'd at me. But then once I explained it more, she agreed ta help me figure out why I blacked out. Ta make a long story short, we discovered that there was some sort 'o power or somethin' on me that kinda took ov'r me."

"That sounds rather convenient." Jenny couldn't help but laugh dryly.

"Please, hear me out," Jin begged. "Genkai knew about this technique that could control minds. She said it's rare & she has no clue why someone would use it on me, 'specially for somethin' like this, but she seemed pretty confident. She said tha person using the technique could tap into a person's mind, read their thoughts, & take over whenever they desire."

"So you're saying this person took over control of your mind when I asked you to stop… why would they want to do that?"

"Genkai wasn't sure & neither am I, but she's pretty good at this sort o' stuff. Just ask any o' the others," Jin said quickly.

Tensing, Jenny asked, "If this is true, how do I know this person couldn't just take over your mind right now & try to hurt me again?"

"Genkai spent quite a bit 'o time wit me, exploring my spirit energy. She sensed somethin' off with my energy, but couldn't get a good sense of what was causin' it. She ended up usin' her spirit healing powers & when she checked again, it was gone. I stayed there wit' her for a while longer so she could make sure I was a'right. No sign o' anythin' ta do wit' the mind control stuff." Jin looked back into her eyes. "Genkai & I are confident that whatever or whoever it was, it's gone. I wouldn't be back here, with ya, if I didn't believe that."

 _If this is true.. Then he really didn't do anything wrong. He's a victim in this, just like me. Genkai's a pretty reliable source. I want to believe him so badly…_

"So what now?" Jenny asked.

"I'm not really sure…" Jin said softly. "I know you're prob'ly hurt & angry wit' me still, but to be honest, I care about ya. I know we only hung out for a short while, but I haven't felt this way 'bout anyone before." He sighed, running his fingers through his hair again. "I don't know… I know you're human & I'm not, but I want ta try ta see if there's somethin' there wit' us." He looked up at her, his eyes filled with a mixture of anticipation & fear.

 _This is what I was wanting… I wanted him to come back & say these things. I was hurt by what happened, but is it worth pushing him away now? After all this? Shouldn't I at least give him a chance? _

He reached out his hand slowly to hers, seemingly unsure of what to do. This time, she didn't flinch. When his hand touched hers, she didn't pull away. They sat there for a few moments in silence, his hand on hers.

"You don't know how much I wanted you to come back, even after what happened," she said in a voice that was barely above a whisper. She felt tears well up in her eyes & one escape down her cheek. "Even when I knew what you'd done, I had this feeling that something wasn't right… that something was wrong & there had to be an explanation for what happened." She looked up at him as a few more tears fell. "I care about you, too, Jin. So much."

Jin stared at her, wide-eyed, for a few moments before speaking. "Can I hold you?"

Jenny was stunned for a moment. _That's almost exactly what Kurama asked me when he tried to console me after Jin left._ Her mind went to Kurama  & how he might be feeling right now. _I have to focus on me right now & what I want… I can't think about him right now. Jin is back.. And I want him. I want to be with him. I have to see where this goes, no matter what._

With sudden clarity, Jenny wrapped her arms around Jin's neck & pulled him close, choking back a sob. Jin went rigid for a moment in surprise before letting out a relieved sigh & pulling her tightly to him.

 _I don't feel scared. I feel safe._ Relief flooded through her. She pulled her back slightly & looked up at Jin. His eyes said it all. He was just as relieved as she was.

He slowly moved his fingers to her chin & leaned in toward her. She closed her eyes & lifted her lips closer to his. It started off as a simple, sweet kiss.. Both unsure of where it would go. Jin's arms pulled her closer & she ran her fingers through his hair. Before they knew it, they'd lost themselves in the kiss. It became less timid & more passionate.

Finally, gasping for a breath, Jenny pulled away from him. They looked into each other's eyes, breathing heavily, for a few moments.

Jin finally broke the silence. "I should probably get ya back ta the others." He took one of her hands in his. "Not that I want ta ruin the moment, but ya mind tellin' me what I walked in on in there earlier?"

Her face flushed. "Kurama's been there for me since you left. He's been a good friend & has helped me a ton. To be honest, he's kinda interested in me, but-" When she saw Jin clench a fist, she put both hands over it. "I'm not into him, Jin," she said sincerely. "I went with him tonight because I care about him, but as a friend. I probably shouldn't have, since he wants more than that, though."

"I'm glad ya had someone there for ya through all this, but I hope he knows better than ta try ta go after ya now," Jin said with a hint of anger in his voice.

Jenny pulled him into another kiss, lingering long enough to feel Jin relax again. She moved back & smiled at him. "You have nothing to worry about." She stood up, straightening the bottom of her dress out.

Jin gave her a smirk & stood up, seeming to be in a better mood. He grabbed her hand playfully, but gave her a serious look. "Jenny, I want ya ta know that I'm here for ya & I'm goin' to protect ya. Whatever tried to control my mind to hurt ya could try ta go aft'r ya again somehow. We don't know much 'bout what happen'd. But I promise ya, I'm goin' ta try & find out."

That thought hadn't even crossed her mind. She'd been so happy to be back with Jin that she'd hadn't let what he'd found out truly sink in. Jin hadn't purposely tried to hurt her, but someone else had tried to. They don't even know who it is. She shuddered.

"Let's think about that tomorrow," she said, trying to sound unafraid. "Right now, I just want to be with you. Let's focus on that."

As Jin & Jenny had started to walk back to the "prom", Hiei quickly caught up with them.

"Everything went alright, I assume?" Hiei asked, disinterested.

"Better than alright," Jenny said, smiling. "Thanks, Hiei, for being our chaperone."

"Hn. I didn't do it for you, I did it for Kurama." And when they reached the building where Kurama, Keiko, & the others waited outside, Hiei vanished.

As Kurama heard them walking up, he quickly turned toward them. It was obvious he'd been a nervous wreck. His eyes immediately caught sight of Jenny's hand held tightly in Jin's. Jenny saw a flash of something like anger flit across his face, then just as fast Kurama's expression became an emotionless mask.

Keiko ran up to Jenny, looking relieved. "Everything go alright? You're okay?"

Jenny smiled at Keiko. "I'm totally fine. Let's all sit down & have a chat. Jin has a lot to tell you guys."

Jin explained everything about what happened, what he & Genkai had discovered, & that he was safe to be around again. Yusuke had a lot of questions & Jin tried to answer them as best he could, but recommended that he go speak with Genkai, since she could explain things better. After kissing Keiko goodnight, Yusuke immediately left to go see Genkai to find out more. With an air of relief, the group slowly started to disperse to their homes.

Finally, it was just Kurama, Jin, & Jenny left sitting in front of the empty building. The air was tense. Finally, Jenny broke the silence.

"We should probably get going. It's late & even with all this excitement, I'm about ready to pass out."

"I can take ya home," Jin said.

"I can manage making sure she gets home safe," Kurama said curtly. "She's staying in my house, after all."

Jin's eyes flashed angrily, but Jenny spoke up before he could say something they'd all regret. "Jin, it's probably best that we say goodbye here. I don't think it's the best idea for you to go over to Kurama's. I'll see you tomorrow instead?" She gave him a small smile, hoping he knew she was just trying to keep the peace.

He let out a loud sigh. "I understand. I suppose it's for tha best." He wrapped her in a tight embrace. "I'm so thankful for this second chance we have. I promise I won't let ya down again." He pulled her into a kiss that she didn't want to break, but she had the feeling he was doing this partially to bother Kurama.

She slowly broke the kiss & pulled back from him, giving him a big smile. "Goodnight, Jin."

The walk back home with Kurama had seemed to take forever. He didn't seem interested in talking to her, so she didn't push it. When they got to Kurama's, Jenny decided it was time to talk to him about everything that had happened.

"Kurama-"

"I don't want to hear it." His voice was harsh.

"Kurama, please. Don't be like this."

"Jin's back, you're with him. What's there to talk about?" He moved to go to his room, but paused to turn back & look at her. He sighed, seeming to let some of his anger out with it. "I want you to be happy & if this is what it takes, so be it. I was hoping it would be me." His eyes showed his hurt plainly. "Either way, I'll be here to help protect you from whatever it was that caused Jin to hurt you." He looked away from her. "Good night." He went into his room & closed the door.

Not knowing what the next day would bring & feeling overwhelmed with everything she learned that night, Jenny went into her own room. _At least I have Jin back…_ But the thought of someone controlling him to hurt her nagged at her. _Who could be trying to hurt me? And why?_


	7. Chapter 7 - Mom

**Author's Note** : I feel like this chapter goes at a faster pace than I would've liked, but there's a lot in here. I didn't want to draw it out too much, because there's a lot of exciting stuff coming up that I'm eager to get to! I might end up going back & adding a little more detail to this one later on. Enjoy! I love reading the reviews! :) Thanks to everyone who's reviewed so far! 3 It makes my day!

 **Chapter 7 - Mom**

Jenny woke up the next morning & laid in bed for a good long while, not really wanting to deal with the Kurama situation quite yet. _I can't avoid him forever. I don't want to lose him as a friend, but I don't want to make things worse by trying to talk to him about it yet._

She smiled as the other events from last night replayed themselves in her mind. _Jin's back. He's actually back. And he didn't try to hurt me on purpose. He wants to be with me._

Jenny finally pulled herself out of bed & slowly slid the door open a crack. She peered out into the kitchen & living room. Kurama's bedroom door was still shut, a sure sign that he hadn't left the room yet. _Perfect!_ She quietly closed the door again. Quickly she dressed in a pair of dark jeans, black sweater,  & black tennis shoes, grabbed her purse, & snuck quietly out into the hallway. She moved quickly to the bathroom, brushed her teeth & her hair & threw on a little makeup. When she was done, making sure she was as silent as possible, she opened the front door & left the house.

She sighed in relief. _I made it out without having to have that awkward conversation yet…_ _I need to get out & think for a while before I talk with Kurama. _

She walked slowly down the sidewalk, not really sure where she was going. It was a gorgeous day already. The sun was out, not a cloud in the sky, & while it was a little chilly out, it was relatively comfortable in her sweater. Before she knew it, she was back at the park where she'd talked to Jin the night before.

 _I guess this is as good a place as any to relax & think._ She sat down on the nearest bench, but before she could actually think about anything she heard a voice behind her.

"You're up early."

Startled, she turned around to see Hiei sitting in a tree behind her. "Hiei?! What are you doing here?!"

"I'm always out here in the mornings." Hiei watched her for a moment, then jumped down. He walked over to the bench & sat on the opposite end.

"You scared me!"

"Hn."

"You're a real conversationalist, aren't you," Jenny said sarcastically.

Ignoring her comment, Hiei said, "I found your mother."

Jenny stared at him, wide-eyed, mouth open, not sure if she heard him correctly. "You what?"

"I said I found your mother." His voice sounded so matter-of-fact.

 _My mother?!_ Hope surged through her. _I can find out more about my past now! And what happened to me to make me lose my memory, maybe!_ Raising her voice a little more, Jenny asked, incredulous. "What?! How!?"

"I have my ways."

"Why would you go looking for my mother?"

Hiei finally turned to look at her. His eyes showed no emotion. "Honestly, I was worried about Kurama. You just showed up here, no memories, & started staying at his place. It seemed a little strange to me, so I started poking around hoping to find out more." His eyes moved away from her. "I haven't figured out everything, but I was able to figure out who your biological mother is."

"Biological mother? Why would you say it like that?" Now she was really confused.

Hiei stood up abruptly. "That's something I'll let her explain. Let's go."

"What? Now?!" _This is all happening so fast._ Jenny's mind was reeling.

Hiei glared at her for a moment. "Yes, now! Unless you don't want to meet her. I'm not going to wait around all day for you to decide when you want to go." He turned & started walking, muttering something about how annoying humans were.

Jenny watched him walking away for a moment in shock. Then, realizing she was still sitting on the bench, she hurriedly jumped from the bench & ran after him. "Wait for me!"

* * *

"Here we are," Hiei said turning to face Jenny when they reached the hospital room.

Jenny hadn't been able to stop her swirling thoughts the entire way to the hospital where Hiei had brought her. _I'm about to meet my mom. My biological mom._

"Are we just going to wait out here or are we going to stand outside the room the rest of the day?" Hiei asked, obviously annoyed.

"Sorry.. This is just.. This is a lot to take in." She stared at the door for a moment before gathering up the courage to turn the knob. As she slowly moved into the room, she kept her eyes on the floor, scared to look up at the person lying in the bed.

"Hello, you must be Jenny. Hiei told me you'd be coming to visit."

Finally, Jenny brought her eyes up to the hospital bed. _She looks familiar… why?_ Then it hit her.

"Y-You're… You're Kurama's mom! I recognize you from photos in Kurama's house!" She felt like she was going to be sick. Her head was spinning. She sat down in the chair next to the bed out of fear she'd pass out. _This can't be happening. I'm Kurama's… sister?! How is that possible? Kurama's a demon! I'm not!_

"Yes, I am," the woman lying in the bed said softly. "I'm sure you have a lot of questions."

All Jenny could do was nod, her eyes fixed on Kurama's mom… her mom.

"I'll be outside waiting," Hiei stated. _I hadn't even noticed he'd followed me in here._ He walked out, closing the door behind him, leaving the two women alone.

After a moment of silence, the silence was broken by a quiet voice. "My name is Shiori. I've waited for this moment for a very long time."

"I-I'm sorry. I don't know if Hiei mentioned anything to you, but when Kurama found me, I couldn't remember anything about my past. I don't remember anything about… anything… before then." Jenny stared down at the floor, not quite sure how to feel.

"He told me all about it," Shiori's voice sounded genuinely caring. "Do you want me to explain at least part of your past? The part I know at least?" When Jenny nodded & finally looked up at her, she continued. "Kurama doesn't even know this part of the story, yet. When I was pregnant with Kurama, I was actually pregnant with twins."

 _Twins? Seriously!?_

"I wasn't in a very stable situation, financially, & I made the difficult decision to put one of the babies up for adoption. I wanted to provide a better life for both children & I knew I wasn't able to provide that, at the time." Shiori sighed & closed her eyes, a tear falling down one cheek. "I wish I hadn't made that decision now, but I do know that it was something I felt I had to do at the time. I missed you every single day." She opened her eyes, tears falling freely now, & looked at Jenny, reaching for her hand. "You don't know how happy it makes me to see you sitting here next to me, finally."

Jenny allowed her to take her hand, but was still in shock. "Who adopted me?"

"I chose to do a closed adoption because I knew I'd have no self control if I knew where my daughter was," Shiori said in a voice barely more than a whisper. "Jenny, I can't tell you how badly I feel. About everything."

 _I still know nothing about my past, other than who my biological mom is and that I was adopted. This woman gave up a child to do what she thought was right…_ The anger that had started to make its way into her mind was slowly trickling away. _How can I be angry with her about that? She wanted what was best for me… But still…_

She felt Shiori gently squeeze her hand. "I understand if you want nothing to do with me. It was a great kindness that Hiei did for me, bringing you here."

Jenny almost laughed at that last part about Hiei, but stopped herself in time. _Who would've thought Hiei would be the one to help with my past?_

"Shiori… This is a lot to take in, but I understand. I don't hate you for what you did." Jenny ran her fingers through her hair & squeezed Shiori's hand back with her other hand. "I want to get to know you better. You're my biological mom, after all. The only link to the past I have right now." She gave Shiori a small smile. Shiori beamed back, wiping away a tear from her cheek.

"What's going on…?" A shaky voice asked from the doorway.

Jenny & Shiori both turned their heads to peer at the face in the doorway.

Shiori's face dropped. "K-Kurama!"

Kurama walked in carrying a bouquet of flowers. "I brought these for you, mother." His eyes turned coldly to Jenny. "I see you already have a guest. I didn't realize you two knew each other."

After a few moments of silence, Shiori spoke up. "Kurama, there's something I need to tell you."

And so Shiori told her story again to Kurama, who sat in a chair on the other side of the bed, across from Jenny. By the end of the story, he couldn't look up at Shiori. His fists were clenched, but his face showed no emotion.

When the story was over, Kurama simply said, "I see. Why didn't you tell me this sooner?"

Shiori reached a hand out to touch Kurama, but he pulled away from her. "Kurama, I didn't want to hurt you. I didn't know where she was or how to contact her. I wish I had."

Kurama abruptly stood up & walked back toward the door. "I'm sorry. I need some time to think things through." He left without saying another word.

 _Wow… And I thought he was upset last night. He seems really broken up._ Not quite sure what to do, Jenny looked back at Shiori  & said, "I should probably go talk to him. Make sure he's okay." She squeezed her hand. "You did the right thing, telling him." She released Shiori's hand & walked toward the door, turning back for just a moment before she left. "I'll be back soon, I promise. We have a lot of catching up to do." Jenny gave her a small smile, then hurried out the door.

She turned the corner quickly & ran right into Hiei. "Hiei! Did you see Kurama? His mom… our mom… told him everything!"

"I saw him." Hiei didn't seem to concerned.

"We need to go find him to make sure he's okay!" Jenny pulled at Hiei's arm & started to walk down the hall.

Hiei pulled his arm away from her. "Kurama can take care of himself, but if you insist on going to see him, I'll go with you. He's not your biggest fan right now."

Jenny turned & glared at Hiei for a moment. "You think I don't know that?! That's why I need to make sure he's alright."

The pair finally found Kurama back at his house, sitting on the couch, reading a book. The moment they'd walked in, Kurama closed the book, stood up, & moved to go to his bedroom."

"Kurama, wait! Please…," Jenny pleaded. "Let's talk about what just happened-"

"Why?!" The anger in his voice startled her into silence. He turned his back to her. "So I can be humiliated again? So I can be reminded that I have a twin sister my mom lied to me about? So I can be reminded that I almost kissed her? That I was starting to have feelings for her? I'd rather not…."

That stunned Jenny into silence. _I can't even imagine how he's feeling right now… After everything that happened... & almost happened._

"Kurama, even if you don't want to hear her out, you do need to hear me out." Hiei's commanding voice broke through the silence. "Both of you do."

Jenny & Kurama both turned to Hiei with puzzled looks on their faces.

"What do you mean? What else is there?" Jenny asked, feeling annoyed that Hiei hadn't mentioned anything sooner.

"So obviously you know that Kurama put his spirit into a baby that Shiori was carrying. What Kurama didn't know at the time was that Shiori was carrying twins, not just one child."

"How did you find all this out, Hiei? How do you know for sure it's actually true?" Jenny asked.

"I had a DNA test done."

Jenny & Kurama stared at him without speaking for a long while.

"Seriously? Where did you learn to do that?" Kurama asked, incredulous.

"I needed to find out who she was, so I snatched a strand of Jenny's hair & had it tested. I have my ways & connections. " He shrugged, seeming to think it wasn't a big deal. "I was surprised to see that she was a match for Shiori, though. It seems like a pretty big coincidence that you found her with no memory, Kurama, & she ends up being your sister."

"Yes.. it does." Kurama seemed deep in thought. "It's strange." For the first time since they'd arrived at the house, some of his anger had seemed to dissipate.

"Did you find out anything else, Hiei? Like who my adopted parents are?" Jenny was anxious to her the answer.

"No, I haven't been able to find anything else out about your past," Hiei answered. "I felt like it was necessary to tell you at least this part of what I'd discovered, since there were some obvious… complications... with the two of you."

Jenny flushed red. "Yeah…" She couldn't believe everything that had happened, but she felt a sudden rush of gratitude for Hiei. As much of a jerk as he normally was, he could be pretty considerate & a helpful friend when he wanted to be. She walked over to him & gave him a small hug, not quite feeling comfortable enough with him to pull him into a full embrace. "Thank you, Hiei… for helping me find out at least something about my past. You don't know how much I appreciate it."

"Hn. Again, I didn't do it for you."

"Well, I guess this makes things easier for you, Jenny." Kurama interrupted, his voice harsh again.

"What do you mean?" Jenny asked, confused.

"Now you _really_ have no reason to feel bad about choosing Jin. We couldn't have worked out, anyway." Kurama abruptly turned  & strode into his bedroom, closing the door behind him.

 _This just gets worse & worse…._

"I'm not sure staying here is in Kurama's best interest," Hiei stated.

"Huh?"

"I don't think you should stay here anymore, or at least for a while. I know Kurama. He wants to be left alone right now." Hiei went to sit on the couch. "Pack a bag. You'll stay at my place tonight so he can have some space."

Jenny stared at him for a moment. "Seriously?"

"Do I look like I'm joking?" Hiei asked.

Sighing, Jenny turned & went into her room. _How did I get into this mess?_


	8. Chapter 8 - Explanations

**Chapter 8 - Explanations**

Jenny woke up &, at first, was startled by her surroundings. She sat up, blinking the sleep from her eyes & looked around. It took her a few moments for her to remember where she was.

 _Right.. I stayed at Hiei's last night._

She was sitting on a black leather couch, a blanket covering her legs. The living room was dark, but sunlight was sneaking in through the cracks of the dark curtains.

 _Well he definitely likes his place to be kept dark… I can barely tell it's morning._

She stood up, stretching, then looked down to see what she was wearing. She was in a pair of black pajama shorts & grey tank top.

 _I don't even remember changing last night… I must've been exhausted._ She shook her head mentally. _That shouldn't surprise me, after everything that happened yesterday._

"I see you're finally awake."

The voice made her jump. She turned to look in the direction where the voice came. "Hiei! Jesus! You've gotta quit doing that!" Hiei was standing next to the kitchen counter wearing just black sweatpants. A plate of pancakes was next to him, half eaten.

"Maybe if you paid attention more you wouldn't be so surprised," Hiei said, taking a bite of his pancake.

The fact that Hiei was in the room without a shirt on suddenly made Jenny realize that she, like usual, had been sleeping without a bra on. She uncomfortably folded her arms across her chest, embarrassed, hoping he hadn't noticed. The room was colder than she would've liked at the moment.

"I'm going to go change & when I get back I expect you to share some of those pancakes!" Jenny said, trying to sound casual.

"Right.." Hiei chuckled as Jenny grabbed her bag & moved swiftly to the bathroom.

As soon as Jenny had pulled her hair back & changed into her clothes, a pair of dark jeans & a white long sleeve shirt, she went into the kitchen. Surprisingly, Hiei had actually set out a plate of pancakes for her on the counter.

"Thanks!" Jenny said as she hungrily dug in. "I don't think I ate much yesterday."

"Don't mention it," Hiei muttered. The two of them ate in silence until their plates were empty.

"So what's the plan, now?" Hiei asked after the two of them had moved to sit on the couch.

"I need to talk to Kurama. I need to clear the air with him." _He's my brother.. It still hasn't fully sunk in._

"I still don't think that's a good idea. I know him better than almost anyone. He needs space right now."

Jenny sighed, frustrated. "I know that, Hiei. I just feel so bad leaving things the way they are now."

"Give it a little time. It'd be good for both of you," Hiei said. _He actually does sound concerned. Who would've thought…_

"I guess…" Jenny said quietly. After a few moments she continued, "So if he needs space, where am I going to stay? I doubt you'd want me to stay here."

"Why not?" Hiei looked over at her with a blank expression on his face.

"You just don't… you honestly don't seem like the type to do this kind of thing. You know, being nice & helpful to complete strangers."

To this Hiei gave a loud laugh, which startled her again. "You're right! But, like I've said before, I've been keeping an eye on you. This would make it even easier. We still know almost nothing about you."

"That's very reassuring," Jenny said sarcastically.

"Hn. Whether you think it's reassuring or not, I'm going to insist that you stay here anyway. We know almost nothing about you, but you're also Kurama's sister & there's someone out there who might still be trying to harm you. You haven't forgotten about what happened with Jin, have you?" Hiei said, his voice serious again.

Jenny's mood dropped. "Of course not."

"It's safest for you to stay here & I can keep an eye on you."

Jenny sighed again. "Fine… But I still need to go over to Kurama's, then, to get the rest of my stuff.

"I'll go with you," Hiei said, moving to get up.

"No, I'd rather go alone," she said. When Hiei started to protest, she cut him off. "I won't talk to Kurama about anything, I swear! I'll just get my things & come back here. I just want some time to think alone on the walk there & back, with everything that's happened."

Seeming unhappy with the arrangement, but not wanting to argue, Hiei reluctantly agreed.

"I'll be back before you know it," Jenny said as she got up, slid her shoes on, & grabbed her jacket & purse.

"Hn."

* * *

When Jenny arrived at Kurama's, she was surprised to see Jin sitting on the front porch steps. He looked up as she approached & stood when he saw her, a relieved smile spreading on his face.

"Jin? What are you doing here?" Jenny asked, as she pulled him into a tight hug. She buried her face into his shoulder. It felt so good to hold him, to feel his warmth against her. It was just what she'd needed after a day like yesterday. She couldn't help but smile.

He put a hand to her cheek, lifted her face to his & gave her a kiss that took her breath away. His tongue slid into her mouth & he ran his hand to the back of her head into her hair. The kiss was so intense, so hot, that it made her dizzy. Her face flushed warm as she ran her tongue against his.

Finally, after what seemed like forever, they broke the kiss. "I was so worried 'bout ya," Jin said once he caught his breath.

Jenny tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, her cheeks still flushed red. "Why?"

"I want'd ta give ya a little space yesterday, aft'r everythin' that happened. I didn't want ta seem too needy, I guess." He smiled awkwardly. "I stopp'd by early this mornin', but Kurama wouldn't let me in. Just said ya weren't there." He squeezed her hand in his. "After everythin' that happen'd, I was worried that somethin' had happen'd to ya. I asked Kurama, but he wouldn't say anythin' other than that ya were just fine."

Jenny sighed, looking down at her feet. _I'm sighing an awful lot lately…_

"Sit down, Jin… I have a lot to tell you."

The pair sat on the steps & Jenny told Jin what had happened the day before. By the end, Jin's jaw was wide open.

"Ya seriously mean ta tell me that you & Kurama are twins?!" Jin said, shocked.

"Yeah…" Jenny awkwardly played with the sleeve of her jacket. "Kurama's not too happy right now. And on top of it all, I still know almost nothing about my past. This just complicates things even more."

"Well, I tell ya one thing it doesn't complicate!" Jin said, sounding happier than he meant to. "Kurama can't continue ta try ta date ya, now!"

Jenny gave Jin a serious look. "That's true, Jin, but he's really hurt. He's been a good friend to me & now he's my brother.. My twin! He needs understanding right now, not to have this rubbed in his face."

Jin's look turned more serious. "I know, I'm sorry. I'm just… relieved… I guess."

"You had nothing to worry about anyway, Jin," Jenny said, smiling, & leaning over to give him a kiss, making sure she pulled away quickly so she wouldn't get stuck in another one of those kisses like they'd had earlier. There was still more to explain.

"So where'd ya go?" Jin asked.

"Hiei thought it wouldn't be a good idea to stay here. He said Kurama needed space, so I stayed on his couch last night."

"Ya could've stayed over at my place," Jin said, sounding a little hurt.

"I know, but it was late & Hiei insisted. I don't think he's too sure about me, yet," Jenny said. "He wants me to stay there for a while until things cool down with Kurama." She gave Jin a playful smirk. "Besides, I doubt you would've let me get any sleep, anyways."

To her surprise, Jin's face stayed serious. "Jenny, I wouldn't do anythin' ya weren't ready ta do yet." He looked away from her. "I still feel so bad 'bout what happened…"

She moved so she was kneeling down in front of him, forcing him to look her in the eyes. "Jin, I told you before… It wasn't your fault. I care about you & I want to see where this goes. You don't have to keep apologizing to me."

"I can't help it. I hafta prove myself to ya now. I need ta protect ya." Jin said, brushing her hair back behind her ear after a breeze blew it in front of her face. "The reason I came here is ta ask ya if ya'd go with me ta Genkai's."

"Genkai's? Why?" Jenny asked, confused.

"Someone tried ta use me ta hurt you. There has ta be a reason for that & I doubt they'd just give up, especially after goin' ta all that trouble to control me. And now that Hiei's discovered who your birth mother is, I feel like it's even more important. Maybe that'll be just the clue ta help Genkai figure out more," Jin said hopefully. "Will ya go with me?"

"Well, I told Hiei that I'd be right back after getting the rest of my stuff from Kurama's," Jenny said thoughfully. "But I think this is more important. Let me get my things from inside, then we'll need to stop by Hiei's so he doesn't totally hate me. He's surprisingly done a lot to help. I can also grab other things I might need for the trip."

Jin, grinning ear to ear, stood up excitedly. "Sounds like a plan! Let's get yer stuff!" He moved to walk to the front door, but Jenny put a hand on his forearm.

"I still don't think it's a good idea for you to go in," Jenny said. "Kurama's still not your biggest fan. I can get them & I'll hurry back out."

Sighing, Jin plopped back down on the porch step. "A'right… just hurry!"

Flashing him a quick smile, Jenny turned & slowly opened the front door. She suddenly felt nervous. _What if I run into Kurama? Jin said he was home…_

She peeked into the living room & walked in once she saw that Kurama was nowhere to be seen. She hurriedly went to her room & put everything she thought she might need into a few bags. After doing a double check of her room, she slung the bags over her shoulder & hurriedly left the room, closing the door behind her.

She turned around in a rush & almost ran right into the person she was trying to avoid.. Kurama. _Ugh…_

"Uh… hi, Kurama.." Jenny said nervously, re-adjusting the bags on her shoulder.

"What are you doing back?" Kurama asked coldly.

Jenny looked down at the floor to avoid his eyes. "Sorry, I just came to get a few things. Hiei said you'd want your space…" She trailed off, not sure what to say that wouldn't make things more awkward.

"He's right." Kurama turned to walk toward the kitchen.

"Alright…" Not sure what else to do, she started to walk slowly toward the door, but stopped after a few steps. "Kurama, I am sorry. I want you to know that. We're family now. I hope we can work this out. I know you need some time & space, but I needed you to know that. I'll give you as much space as you need. You can talk to me when you're ready."

After a few moments of silence, Jenny was sure he wasn't going to speak. She let out the breath she was holding & opened the front door slightly to leave.

"Jenny…" Kurama said quietly, making her freeze in place. "I'm angry & upset. But like you said, we're family now. And as much as I didn't want that to be true, it is. Give me some time. Just know…." he paused before continuing. "Just know that I don't hate you. I just need time to process everything."

She turned to look back at him & gave him a small smile. "Thanks, Kurama. It means a lot to hear you say that." Before walking out, she said "We're going to Genkai's to try to learn more. If I find out anything I'll let you know."

She closed the door behind her. Jin stood up & reached out to help her with her bags. "Ready?" he asked.

"As ready as I can be, I guess… Let's go." Jenny entwined her fingers with Jin's & they started off down the sidewalk toward Hiei's.

* * *

"Wow! This place is beautiful!" Jenny said as they walked down the rocky path. They were surrounded by a forest, but just down the path in front of them they could see Genkai's place in the distance.

Hiei hadn't been pleased with Jenny taking so long at Kurama's & he definitely wasn't happy about her leaving with Jin to go to Genkai's at first. After a long conversation & a lot of convincing, Hiei agreed that it was a good idea to go to Genkai to see what they can find out. In the end, Hiei said he'd get the others together & head out to Genkai's in a few days. Jin & Jenny left immediately after making sure she had everything she'd need in a backpack.

Once they'd gotten off the train, they'd walked the rest of the way to Genkai's. Jin had wanted to show Jenny the surrounding countryside. Jenny thought that was absolutely adorable, but didn't want to embarrass the demon by saying so out loud. As they walked, Jenny had learned more about Jin's past & he'd tried to help her, unsuccessfully, remember more about her past.

Now that they'd finally arrived, Jenny was starting to feel a little nervous about finally getting to meet Genkai. She'd heard a lot about her & she seemed kind of… intimidating.

As they got closer to the entrance, they saw Genkai waiting. Jenny squeezed Jin's hand for reassurance & he smiled down at her.

"Hey there, Genkai!" Jin said with a friendly smile, leading Jenny closer.

"Jin." Genkai nodded in greeting. "This must be Jenny."

"Nice to meet you," Jenny said nervously.

Genkai smirked. "No need to be nervous, girl." She turned & gestured toward the inside of the house. "Let's go inside where we can talk."

The three of them walked into Genkai's & ended up in a living room. She gestured towards a couch, inviting them to have a seat.

Jin sat down casually, seeming to feel right at home. Jenny sat close next to him. Genkai said in a chair opposite the couch.

"So I suppose you want to know if I found out anything else while you've been gone?" Genkai asked knowingly.

"Have ya?" Jin asked. "Hiei's found out some pretty big news about-"

"I know what he discovered," Genkai cut Jin off before he could continue. "Hiei told me."

"Oh.." Jin said awkwardly, rubbing the back of his head.

Finally gathering up the courage to speak, Jenny quietly asked, "Have you found out anything new?"

"As a matter of fact, I have. It's not much, but it's more than we had," Genkai stated. "Obviously you know that you're Kurama's twin now, right?"

Jenny nodded, eager to hear what else she'd learned.

"So when Kurama placed his spirit in what is now his body, your mother was pregnant with twins. You were the female twin & Kurama placed his spirit into the body of the male twin. I was thinking about what this might mean. Kurama placing his spirit into the twin next to you would've been an event that involved a lot of spirit energy. Because of this, I was thinking that you'd have to be affected in some way by this high level of spirit energy."

Genkai stood up & moved so she was standing next to Jenny. She placed her hand on her arm & closed her eyes. Not sure what to do, Jenny looked over at Jin, who shrugged.

After a few moments that seemed like hours, Genkai opened her eyes & removed her hand from Jenny's arm. "Just as I suspected."

"What?" Jin asked, sounding anxious.

Genkai moved to sit back in her chair. "Jenny has elevated levels of spirit energy. Nothing like what Kuwabara has, by any means, but definitely higher than that of a normal human."

"What does that mean?" Jenny asked nervously.

"To be honest, it's not enough to do a whole lot. But it's enough to make you a little more sensitive to things. Since you & Kurama are twins, you two already have a special bond. This spirit energy just makes it a little stronger. That's why I think someone is after you."

"Huh?!" Jenny couldn't keep the shock from her voice.

"Whaddya mean?!" Jin asked at the same time. She felt his hand tightening on hers.

"Someone obviously wanted to hurt you, Jenny, or else they wouldn't have gone to all the trouble of controlling Jin to hurt you. I have no clue why they chose to do it the way they did. It seems to me like there'd be easier ways to go about hurting you, if that was their goal, but that's not important right now. And we still have no clue why your memory is gone. But the point is, Kurama made a lot of enemies in his previous life in Makai. I have no doubt that if someone knew he had a sister they'd want to use that. It seems like an awfully big coincidence that Kurama found you, of all people, without your memory, & that someone was trying to use Jin to hurt you. I have a feeling we haven't seen the last of them."

"Jin said you thought he was safe now, though," Jenny said nervously.

"Don't worry. I don't sense anything wrong with Jin now like I did before. But I think they'll find other ways to come after you. The question is, why?"

"So what can we do ta stop them? Haven't ya found anythin' else out?!" Jin asked, anger creeping into his voice.

"Calm down, Jin," Genkai said, annoyed. "I'm working on it, but I haven't found out anything else yet. For now, I think it's best for you both to stay here. This place is better protected & it'll be good to have Jenny here to work on figuring out her past. Maybe if we can figure that out, it'll help us find out who's trying to hurt her & why."

 _This just keeps getting crazier & crazier. _

"Thank you, Genkai," Jenny said quietly. "I appreciate all the help I can get right now."

Genkai stood again. "I'll show you to your rooms & you can get settled in."

By the time they'd been shown their rooms & put their belongings away, it was dark out. Jenny changed into her pajamas, her usual black shorts & grey tank, then threw herself down onto the bed, laying on her stomach.

 _So let's see so far I know I'm adopted, but my birth mother is also Kurama's mother. Kurama & I have a special twin bond strengthened by spirit energy. Someone's out to get me & it's probably because I'm Kurama's sister. They tried to control Jin to hurt me & they'll probably try something again. Great._

Tears welled up in her eyes. _How can this be my life?_

"Jenny?" Jin's voice called from the doorway.

She hadn't even heard the door open. She secretly tried to wipe the tears from her face before he saw, but it was too late.

"Jenny…." Jin hurriedly laid down next to her & pulled her close. "I'm so sorry. I know this has been rough on ya."

She buried her head in his shoulder & wrapped an arm around his neck. Before she knew it she was sobbing into him. Jin held her tightly as she cried.

After what seemed like an eternity, she finally felt like her tears were drying up. She pulled her head back from Jin's shoulder to look into his eyes. "I'm sorry, Jin. I'm a mess right now."

"Nonsense…" He gave her a playful smile. "I think ya look lovely, even wit' all o' tha tears."

Jenny laughed & gave him a playful punch on the arm. She wiped the tears from her face & smiled back at him.

"In all seriousness, though, ya can always talk ta me 'bout this stuff. I'm here for ya." Jin said.

"I know.. Thank you, Jin."

Jin yawned & sat up on the edge of the bed. He was wearing a pair of red flannel pajamas pants & a white tank. "Well, it's gettin' late. We should probably get some rest." He turned, leaned down toward her, & gave her a kiss. "I'll see ya in tha mornin'"

As he started to walk toward the door, Jenny's voice stopped him. "Jin?"

He turned to look at her. "Yeah?"

"Can you stay with me tonight?" She looked at him nervously. "I just.. I don't want to be alone right now." Jin looked at her, seeming unsure how to respond. Realizing how she might've sounded, she blushed & added, "Just to sleep, nothing else. Honestly, I'm a little scared to be by myself right now with everything going on."

Jin smiled. "Sure thing."

After getting ready for bed, the pair crawled under the covers in Jenny's room. Jenny laid on her side & Jin snuggled up close behind her, wrapping his arms around her. She felt his warm breath against her neck slowing as he fell asleep.

 _At least I have this…._ Jenny thought, as she drifted off into sleep.


	9. Chapter 9 - Closer

**Author's Note:** This was a fun chapter to write. ;) Definitely more on the mature end of the rating scale.

 **Chapter 9 - Closer**

Jenny woke up with her head laying on Jin's chest, one of her legs draped over his. She snuggled into him, enjoying how warm he felt on this cool morning. Her movement caused Jin to stir.

"Mmmm… good mornin'…" Jin mumbled, groggily.

Jenny moved so she could kiss him gently on the lips. "Good morning," she said, smiling.

Jin, slowly waking up &, noticing she was pressed close against him, smiled & ran one hand slowly up her back. Her skin tingled as his hand moved up to her neck.

 _How is he this sexy?_ , she thought as she admired his eyes.

His hand made its way to the back of her head. His fingers tangled into her hair & he pulled her into a kiss that started off slow, but became more insistent as he felt her body responding to the kiss.

Jin broke the kiss, pulling his lips barely an inch away from hers. "Is this okay..?" His voice wasn't much more than a whisper.

"I don't want you to stop," Jenny whispered back, pulling him into another passionate kiss, then breaking it just as fast. She pulled back a little more so she could look into his eyes. "I trust you. I know you'll stop if I ask… but I want this. I want you."

"Tell me if ya want to stop…" Jin said breathlessly.

"Right now…" She took his face in both of her hands & gave him a kiss that told him there was no doubt in her mind. "I want you…" She rolled over onto her back & carefully but forcefully, pulled him with her so that he was on top of her, kissing him. "To show me.." She raised her hips into his slightly as he pressed down on top of her. "How much you want me…"

At that, Jin seemed to allow his need to take over. His lips moved to her neck, one of his hands moved to slide up her shirt across her stomach. Jenny gasped at what he was doing, leaning her head back, savoring the sensations. Her hands clutched at his back. Finally Jin moved his lips back to hers. As he did, Jenny leaned forward, wordlessly encouraging him to lean back. She moved her hands & quickly slid her tank top over her head, breaking the kiss for a few moments as the tank came off. Jenny laid back down & Jin stayed kneeling above her.

"Yer beautiful," Jin said as his eyes roamed her body.

"You're not too bad yourself," Jenny said teasingly, taking in the sight of Jin without a shirt on. She could see how hard he was through the pajama pants he still wore.

"I think.." Jin said as he leaned down to kiss her collarbone. "Ya should prepare yerself…" He trailed kisses down her chest until he reached one of her breasts. "... I plan on drawin' this out as long as possible…" He ran his tongue across one of her nipples, then smiled teasingly up at her.

"Good-" Jenny started to speak, but then gasped as Jin began trailing kisses down her stomach. She ran the fingers on one hand through his hair as his lips continued down to her hips, where he lingered. One of his hands slid her shorts down a little on one side & he let his lips trail down a little farther. Jenny was breathing heavily, her whole body responding to his touch.

 _God this feels good…._ She was practically panting.

"Alright you two lovebirds! Wake up! We have visitors!" Genkai's voice boomed through the door startled them both so much that they rolled & fell off the bed in a heap.

Flustered, Jenny gasped for breath. "Genkai!? Seriously!?"

"Ya have tha worst timin', ol' lady!" Jin growled.

"Yeah, yeah… Get up. Yusuke & the others are here," Genkai growled back through the door. "Get dressed!"

"At least she didn't walk in on us…" Jenny muttered. She laid back on the floor, catching her breath. "Worst timing ever.."

Jin leaned over her, grinning wickedly. "Well I guess now you'll just be left wantin' more…" He kissed her in a way that made her go weak all over again, then he pulled back, smiling. "You'll just have to wait."

Jenny smacked him playfully on the shoulder. "You're evil." She quickly stood up & went to get dressed before he got another chance to kiss her.

Once they'd gotten dressed, Jin & Jenny went into Genkai's living room. Yusuke, Keiko, Kuwabara, Yukina, Genkai, &, to Jenny's surprise, Kurama were all seated throughout the room. Hiei leaned against the wall on the opposite side of the room.

"Jenny!" Keiko ran over & gave Jenny a huge hug.

"Hi, Keiko…" Jenny said, hugging her back.

Jin & Jenny found a spot on the couch & sat side by side. Jin took Jenny's hand in his as they sat down.

"Grandma & Hiei have filled us all in. Crazy stuff!" Yusuke said from his seat on the other couch. "You're Kurama's twin & Jin was being controlled by someone who Genkai thinks wants to hurt you because you're Kurama's sister… It's nuts!"

"Yeah! Like an insane movie!" Kuwabara exclaimed excitedly. Keiko shot him a glare. "What?! It's true!"

"Yeah.. super exciting, Kuwabara…" Jenny said sarcastically.

"But in all seriousness, Jenny, we're all here for you. We're gonna figure out what's going on & put a stop to it," Yusuke said confidently.

"This idiot," Genkai pointed towards Yusuke, who exaggerated being offended, "& Kurama here have decided to go try & figure out who these people are that are trying to hurt you."

 _Kurama is? I figured he'd still be upset with me…_

"Really?" Jenny asked, surprised.

"Of course! We need to figure out what's going on! We're going to leave right away to start searching. We'll probably hit up Koenma to see what he can find out, too," Yusuke stated. Kurama, seated in a chair next to Yusuke, stayed quiet.

"I'll be staying here," Hiei spoke up. "Genkai & I have offered to train Jenny a little. While she's weak & won't be able to do much, she does have some spirit energy & needs to learn to protect herself."

 _Gee.. thanks for the vote of confidence, Hiei._

"Me & Keiko are gonna go back & keep an eye on things around there, in case those jerks end up back at Kurama's," Kuwabara said, holding up a fist. "Yukina's decided to stay here & help Genkai out since she'll have guests." Kuwabara seemed obviously less excited about that.

Jenny felt overwhelmed. She suddenly felt tears welling up, unbidden. She tried to keep the tears from spilling over, but couldn't stop them.

Jin squeezed her hand & looked over at her worriedly. "What's wrong?"

"I just… I can't believe everyone's doing all of this for me," Jenny said, wiping away a tear. "You guys are stopping everything to help me. You all barely know me! I don't even know me…."

Keiko moved to sit on the other side of Jenny. "We know you well enough. You're one of us, now. You're-"

"You're family," Kurama interrupted. Everyone in the room turned to stare at Kurama, but no one said anything. "No matter how unexpected it was, you're my family. You're my sister. We're going to keep you safe no matter what." He raised his eyes to look at her for the first time since she'd come into the room. "I promise."

Jenny stared at him in shock for a moment, then a smile slowly came to her face. _I can't believe it._ "Thanks…" she said quietly. "I'm lucky to have all of you. Thank you all so much."

"Yeah, yeah.. All this mushiness is getting ridiculous," Yusuke said, standing up. "Let's go, Kurama. We've got work to do!"

"Yes, you're right," Kurama said as he rose from his chair.

Keiko ran over & pulled Yusuke into a hug. "Be careful…" Yusuke's face softened for a moment as he reassured her.

"Good luck, boys," Genkai said before the two left the room to go hunt for answers.

Jenny couldn't help but feel a little anxious about what they'd discover.

* * *

That afternoon Genkai & Hiei spent some time discussing training options for Jenny. While she appreciated what they were wanting to do for her, she wasn't too thrilled about the prospect of training. She knew absolutely nothing about fighting & she was pretty certain Hiei wasn't going to be the most patient of teachers. What made Jenny even more annoyed at the situation was the fact that Jin had disappeared soon after Kurama & Yusuke had left, saying he had a few things he had to do & that he'd be back that evening.

Jenny, feeling frustrated, had decided to sit outside & get some fresh air. She was laying down in the grass just outside the door, looking up at the clouds & trying to think about anything other than what was currently going on in her life. After a while, she realized that Hiei was standing in the doorway.

"How long have you been there?" Jenny asked, sitting up, feeling more than a little annoyed. _He always has to sneak up on me._

"Long enough," Hiei responded. "We start our training tomorrow morning. I hope you do better with this training than you are with letting people sneak up on you."

Jenny turned so she was sitting cross-legged, facing him. "Let's hope you're a better teacher than you are at having conversations," she said, only half joking.

"Hn," was all Hiei said, but as he turned to leave she thought she saw a glimpse of a tiny smirk.

 _What a turd._

Jenny laid back down in the grass, her hands behind her head as a pillow. The sun was getting low in the sky. She soon felt her eyes getting heavy & she slowly drifted off to sleep.

She woke up to the feeling of lips on hers. It startled her at first, causing her eyes to jerk open & her heart to race. It took her a second to realize what was happening.

 _Jin.. it's just Jin._

Jin moved back & said, "Sorry, I didn't mean ta startle ya." He gave her a sheepish smile & sat cross-legged across from her in the grass.

She sighed. "It's okay, I just didn't expect to wake up like that," Jenny replied, leaning back on her elbows.

"I have a surprise for ya!" Jin said as his grin widened.

"A surprise?" Jenny asked suspiciously. She raised an eyebrow at him. "What kind of surprise?"

"You'll have ta come with me ta find out!" Before she knew it, Jin was on his feet reaching a hand out to her. "Come on!"

She laughed at his excitement, but took his hand & allowed him to help her up. Jin began half leading, half dragging Jenny out into the woods. "Where are we going?" Jenny asked as she tried to keep up with him.

"You'll see!"

They walked deeper into the woods, Jin leading her down a path he seemed to know. He stopped after a while & pulled out a strip of cloth.

"I'll need ya ta put this on. We can't have tha surprise ruin'd!" Jin tied the cloth around Jenny's eyes.

"Is this really necessary?" Jenny asked, but she couldn't help the smile that was spreading across her face. She felt a tingle go down her spine as she felt Jin's lips on the back of her neck for the briefest moment.

"O' course it is!" Jin whispered. "It'll be worth it."

He took her hand & continued to lead her through the forest. After a few more minutes, they came to a stop again.

"A'right… ready?" Jin asked. He had his hands on the cloth, ready to remove it at her response.

"Duh! Hurry up, already!" Jenny said excitedly. She felt Jin's hands undoing the knot & then the cloth slid away.

Jenny was standing in a clearing in the middle of the forest surrounded by candles. The sight took her breath away. The candles were randomly placed all around them in a wide circle. In the center of the clearing was a blanket, pillows, & what looked like a picnic basket.

She turned around to face Jin, her jaw wide open in shock. "Is this what you've been up to all afternoon?!"

Jin gave a shy smile & rubbed the back of his head with one hand. "Did I do a'right? I'm not too experienced with these kinds o' things, y'know… these human dates."

"Alright?! This is incredible!" Jenny grabbed his hand & began dragging him toward the blanket. She sat down & when he sat beside her she pulled him into a kiss. "Thank you so much, Jin…"

"I'm glad ya like it. I wanted ta do somethin' special for ya," Jin beamed. "Somethin' to show ya how much I care."

Jenny noticed the bottle of wine sticking out of the picnic basket & pulled it out. "Well let's get this open & enjoy our first official date!"

* * *

The two had spent the evening drinking wine, eating a delicious dinner, & talking about anything & everything. As the night went on, Jenny realized she felt truly comfortable & happy sitting there with Jin. She wasn't worried about all the problems she was facing. She was able to enjoy herself & forget about all of the negative. She found herself watching Jin as he talked & feeling so incredibly lucky to have found him.

 _I don't think I'd be able to make it through all this without having him here with me._ She smiled as she watched Jin excitedly telling the story about the first time he'd met Yusuke  & their first fight. _He's always so positive, so full of life._

She felt an overwhelming urge to kiss him. Jenny leaned forward & pressed her lips to his, interrupting him mid-sentence. He was startled at first, but then placed a hand on her neck & kissed her back gently.

Jenny broke the kiss & moved to whisper in his ear. "I think you left something unfinished this morning."

Jin chuckled. "I guess I did, didn't I?" He moved his lips to her neck & ran his tongue up to her jawline. She gave a soft moan.

Desire flared throughout her body. _I want him more than I thought possible._ She wrapped her arms around his neck  & kissed him fiercely. Wanting to make her desire known, she moaned against his lips.

Suddenly, as if they both couldn't wait any longer, they began sliding off each other's clothes, continuing to kiss in between removing articles of clothing. Eventually, they were both completely naked, pressed against each other. Jenny could feel him hard against her hip, her breasts pressed against his chest.

Before she knew it, she was on her back with Jin on top of her. Her hands gripped his back tightly as he kissed her neck, then moved back to her lips. His tongue slid into her mouth & she moaned again, raising her hips into his.

She broke the kiss & whispered against his lips, "I want you right now…"

Jin's breathing was heavy. "I need you right now…"

She gasped in pleasure as she felt him enter her. Her fingers dug into his back as she raised her hips into him, allowing him to move deeper. Jin moaned, his lips against her neck & began to move his hips faster, more insistently.

"Jin…" Jenny moaned, knowing she wasn't going to last long at this rate. It felt too good. She felt her body tensing & moved her hips along with his. One of Jin's hands trailed down her side & held her hip as he thrust. He moved his lips to hers, kissing her with an intensity that threw her over the edge. She felt an explosion of pleasure as he continued to thrust into her. Her entire body shuddered as she moaned loudly. The feeling of release was incredible. She felt Jin moving even faster, his breathing quickening, the she felt him explode inside her. She suddenly felt herself tensing again. _Oh my god…_ He felt too good. She felt another wave of pleasure run through her body as he finished.

The two lay against each other, panting & trying to catch their breath for several minutes. Jin eventually lifted his head, put a hand against her cheek, & gently kissed her.

"I love you," Jin said as he looked into her eyes. Jenny could tell by the expression in his eyes that he was nervous, like he wasn't sure what she was going to say.

 _That's what this is… That's what I've been feeling…_ The relief of this realization washed over her.

"I love you, too…" she whispered, a smile spreading across her lips. She kissed him, wrapping her arms around his neck again tightly.

The pair spent the night under the stars, holding each other.


	10. Chapter 10 - The Truth

**Author's Note:** I've been a bit busier than usual this week so I didn't get to write as much as I wanted to. Let me know what you think!

 **Chapter 10 - The Truth**

Jenny had spent most of the week with Genkai & Hiei training. Jin had been there to help, but Genkai quickly became annoyed with the casual flirting between Jin & Jenny during the sessions. She put a stop to Jin coming to their training after the first day, scolding Jin for pulling Jenny's focus. Jin, who thought the entire situation was hilarious, finally decided not to argue with Genkai & told Jenny he'd be waiting for her when she was done. After training, Jenny spent almost all of her time with Jin.

To her surprise, she actually enjoyed the training. At first she was overwhelmed & frustrated, especially since they didn't exactly go easy on her. They wanted her to know how serious this situation was & that she needed to really learn something. She was thankful, however, that Hiei & Genkai both seemed to remember that she was still just a human. She didn't have incredible strength or an insane amount of spirit energy, so her training had to be a little different. Genkai was able to handle it well, but it took Hiei a while to get used to training with someone who, as he put it, was as "weak & useless" as she was.

What surprised her even more was that Hiei was actually a pretty awesome person. She'd heard a lot of negative things, mostly from Kuwabara, & some warnings about his attitude towards humans from others. She'd spent time with him before, but not much… and they definitely hadn't talked much before this week. His dark sense of humor amused her & the fact that it amused her apparently amused him. Between the training sessions & the short conversations after or before them, Jenny & Hiei had started to build a kind of awkward friendship. It had surprised the others, but Genkai & Jin both seemed glad that they'd come to like one another. Genkai even joked that it made training more enjoyable when Hiei wasn't in a terrible mood.

* * *

Jenny woke up laying on her side with Jin's arms wrapped around her. She snuggled closer into him, smiling as she closed her eyes to try to fall back asleep again. _It's too early to get up, yet…_

Suddenly the door to the bedroom burst open with a bang, startling Jenny & Jin both awake. As they sat up in shocked surprise, they saw (& heard) Yusuke & Kuwabara running in & leaping to jump up on the bed.

"Hey, guys! Time to wake up!" Yusuke yelled as he jumped up & down on the bed, laughing.

Kuwabara was laughing hysterically as he jumped alongside Yusuke. Jenny & Jin pulled their legs in closer to them so they wouldn't get trampled. Jenny scowled at Yusuke & Kuwabara, but Jin, who was laughing right along with them, jumped up onto Yusuke's back & began playfully punching his shoulder.

"What the heck are ya guys doin' here!?" Jin said, laughing.  
"Yeah.. what are you guys doing here? And why did you decide it'd be a good idea to come barging in here when we're trying to sleep?!" Jenny asked, annoyed. She narrowed her eyes at them as she pulled the blanket up around her.

"Jeez, Jenny, don't be such a party pooper…" Kuwabara said jokingly. When he finally got a glimpse of the glare she was throwing his way, he stopped jumping & sighed. "Fine… but Genkai's out there waiting for everyone. Yusuke & Kurama found something out & they picked me up on the way back here."

Yusuke stopped, jumped off the bed, & turned away towards the door. "Yeah, we did." The sudden seriousness of his voice sent a shiver of worry through Jenny. "Enough playing around, let's get this over with." He walked out of the room, not looking back at them.

Jin turned to Kuwabara. "Did Yusuke tell ya anythin' 'bout what he found?"

Kuwabara shook his head. "Nothin'. He said he wanted to tell us all together. Something about not wanting to have to say it more than once."

 _Well that doesn't sound good._

"Well get out of here, Kuwabara, so I can get dressed. I want to get out there & hear what they found out," Jenny said, trying to make sure she didn't sound as worried as she felt. Blushing, Kuwabara quickly left the room & closed the door behind him.

As Jenny finished slipping into her jeans, she felt Jin wrap his arms around her waist from behind. He kissed her neck, causing her to smile even though she didn't feel like it.

"Ya okay?" he asked.

Sighing, Jenny turned to look at him. "I guess so. I just want to figure out what's going on."

"Whatever they've found out, I'm here for ya. Nothin' will change that. We'll get through it, no problem," Jin said, smiling down at her.

 _If only I felt that confident_ , she thought.

The two walked into the living room & sat down in their usual spots on the couch. Yusuke, Kurama, Hiei, & Genkai were all there waiting for them. There was an awkward silence for a few moments. Jenny glanced over at Kurama to see if she could get any hints as to what kind of information they'd discovered, but his face was a blank mask.

"So…" Genkai began. "I assume you're both back because you've found out something important."

"Yeah, you could say that," Yusuke said quietly. "We found out who adopted Jenny."

Jenny held her breath, waiting for him to continue. Jin squeezed her hand reassuringly.

"Get on with it, Yusuke!" Hiei said, not trying to hide his annoyance.

"Well, we did some research & found out Jenny was adopted by this lady named Mari Haruno. We didn't find out much about her life with Haruno, but we did find out that she didn't stay with her past the age of 18," Yusuke said.

"Why?" Jenny asked curiously. _Mari Haruno… my adopted mother…._

"That's where this story gets a little more… strange.. & dark." The fact that Yusuke was acting this apprehensive worried Jenny. He didn't let things get to him like this easily. "You see.. We found out Haruno has some dealings with demon world. I guess Haruno sells humans to demons."

"Sells humans to demons? What for?" Kuwabara asked, sounding appalled.

"Haruno made good money selling humans to demons to be used as slaves," Yusuke paused. "The kind of slaves that are used for more than just cleaning around the house, if you catch my drift."

Slowly the realization dawned on her. "Sex slaves?!" she asked. _Does this mean….?_ "Yusuke, are you saying…?!"

"Koenma, after doing some research, found some clues that lead us to discover that Haruno had sold you to a demon named Kai when you turned 18," Yusuke said quietly, avoiding her eyes.

Jenny felt Jin's hand tightening around hers. She could almost feel the anger boiling off of him.

"I don't understand.. If I was sold to this demon years ago, how did I end up in that park without my memories?" She didn't think it had fully sunk in yet. She was still so confused.

"Well, Koenma also found out some stuff about why this specific demon bought you," Yusuke said, obviously uncomfortable.

"Spit it out, already!" Genkai growled.

"I should be the one to say this, Yusuke," Kurama spoke up before Yusuke could say anything else. His eyes were empty of emotion, but Jenny could sense that it was just a way for him to maintain control. "The demon who bought you knew me before I was re-born as a human. Let's just say we didn't get along. I'd caused him some problems back then. Somehow Kai found out what I'd done & discovered that I had a sister who was put up for adoption. Unfortunately, the woman who adopted you ended up being someone with ties to demon world. I'm sure he was incredibly happy to discover this. He made arrangements with Haruno to buy you on your 18th birthday. I guess he hoped to hurt me through my sister, but for some reason he hadn't revealed it yet."

"This still doesn't explain why you found Jenny in the park without her memory," Hiei stated.

"We aren't exactly sure about parts of that, but we pieced together that Jenny must've escaped from Kai somehow, found her way back to the living world, & passed out from exhaustion before doing anything else. She must've gotten into living world right before Kurama found her, otherwise I bet Kai would've found her before Kurama. Once Kurama had her, Kai probably didn't think it was safe to go after her right then. He was waiting for the right moment," Yusuke said.

"Me…" Jin said, anger seething into his voice.

"Yeah, exactly. We think he was the one using you to get to Jenny," Yusuke replied.

"Why wouldn't he just come & try to take me back? Why go through the trouble to use Jin to hurt me?" Jenny asked.

"Because his main goal was to use you to get to me, we think he was trying to hurt you more than anything. He wasn't necessarily trying to get you back at that point. I'm assuming he thinks we discovered something & that's why we have you. Or maybe he thought eventually he could use Jin to get you back to him somehow," Kurama said.

Jenny sat in stunned disbelief. She'd been so eager to find out more about her past & now… now she wanted nothing more than to go back to knowing nothing. _I was used as a sex slave_. Those words kept repeating in her mind. She looked down at herself, feeling like a stranger in her own body. She didn't remember any of it. How could she not remember anything? She saw a tear fall onto her jeans. She hadn't even realized she was crying. She wiped the tears away, feeling slightly embarrassed that the others were seeing her cry again.

Suddenly she realized that Jin was no longer sitting next to her. He was standing next to her, fists clenched at his side. Jenny could feel the anger radiating from him.

"I'll kill that bastard!" Jin yelled as he angrily moved across the room toward the doorway.

Yusuke ran & blocked Jin's exit, grabbing onto Jin's arms to stop him. Jin moved to push Yusuke out of the way, but by then the others had moved to help stop Jin. Jenny felt more tears well up in her eyes.

"You have to stop & think, Jin!" Yusuke yelled at him. "We need to do this the right way! Going after him all angry like this without a plan is a good way to get yourself killed!"

Before she even realized it, Jenny was pushing her way past Hiei & Kuwabara to get to Jin. She put a hand on his arm. "Jin… please..," she pleaded.

Jin turned to look at her, his eyes blazing with anger. Jenny flinched, fearing for a moment that his anger was directed at her. _Maybe he doesn't want to be with someone who's… who's been a sex slave._ She pulled her hand away  & took a step back.

Jin closed his eyes trying to calm himself & put a hand on her shoulder. "I'm sorry, Jenny. I won't leave.. Yet." He spoke to the others briefly. "Let me talk to Jenny alone, guys."

Without waiting for their answer, Jin took Jenny's hand & gently pulled her from the room. They walked down the hall in silence as he led her to their room. After Jin closed the door, he turned to look at her. Slowly, he walked toward her & wrapped his arms right around her.

"I'm so sorry, Jenny….," he whispered. "I can't imagine how ya must be feelin' right about now."

Jenny pulled him close & laid her head on his chest. "Honestly, I don't really know what to feel right now. I can't even remember any of it. It doesn't seem real yet."

Jin lifted her chin with his fingers so she was looking up at him. "Ya know I need ta go find this guy, right? I can't let him get away with this. 'Specially if he's still tryin' ta get ya back." He turned his face to look away from her. "I can't stand tha thought of ya bein' back in that situation.. Of being used like that. I won't let it happen." The anger was back in full force. "I have ta go."

Her heart was racing. The realization that Jin could go after this Kai person & get killed terrified her. "But Yusuke said…"

"I won't go in all crazy-like. I'll make a plan. I won't be stupid," Jin cut her off. He seemed set on his decision. Before she could say anything else, Jin kissed her hard on the lips. For a moment she forgot all about their conversation with Yusuke & Kurama. She forgot about what she'd learned about her past. All that mattered in that moment was Jin.

Finally they broke the kiss & they looked into each other's eyes, studying each other, for a long moment.

Sighing, knowing Jin was going to go whether she wanted him to or not, she took his hand. "Let's go talk with the others & figure out a plan."

After a long discussion, Yusuke decided that he'd go with Jin to hunt down Kai. They'd go talk to Koenma first to see if he could help them at all first. Hiei & Kurama were planning on staying at Genkai's, at least for now, to help protect & train Jenny.

It had been hard to say goodbye to Jin. Jenny had just found out all of this craziness about her past & she was still trying to process that. And now on top of that the one person she could really talk to, the person she cared about the most, was leaving. She was immensely worried that he'd get hurt or worse. Jin tried to make her feel better about all of it, but it didn't help. She'd put on a brave face & pretended like she believed him, but she was still worried. They'd held each other for a long time before they had finally left. Jenny watched, tears streaming down her face, as Jin & Yusuke left.

 _Jin, you'd better come back in one piece._

After a while, Jenny walked back inside. She moved slowly through the hallway toward her room feeling like she was in a haze. She reached for the door, but paused when she heard a voice behind her.

"Jenny, could we talk?" Kurama stood in the hallway looking at her with an expression she couldn't quite read.

"Uh.. sure," Jenny replied as she turned to look at him.

"Let's go out this way," Kurama gestured toward the door leading outside. "It's just a beautiful day out. It'd be a shame to let it go to waste."

She was surprised by his kind demeanor, but she nodded & followed him. They sat on the edge of the porch, looking out at the forest. Kurama was right, it was truly a beautiful day. A light wind rustled through the trees as sunlight shone through the branches.

After a few moments of silence Kurama said, "I'm so sorry for all of this, Jenny."

Stunned, Jenny turned her head to look at him. "Why are you sorry? You didn't do anything."

"Kai adopted you & used you as…." his voice trailed off. "He was using you to get to me." Kurama didn't look at her, he simply stared out into the forest.

"You had no control over that. You had no way of knowing. It wasn't your fault I was adopted by that terrible woman," Jenny said. She put a hand on his shoulder & as she did he turned to look at her. "This is not your fault, Kurama."

He watched her for a minute, seeming to read her face & thinking about her words carefully. Finally he gave her a small smile. "I'm not sure I'll be able to feel that way about it, but I appreciate your kind words."

Jenny gave him a smile back & moved her hand from his shoulder. "It's like you said a while back… we're family. I know we had a 'more than a little awkward' start…" Kurama gave a small laugh. "But I hope we can move past all that."

"I'm not going to lie to you & say I'm not embarrassed about the whole situation before we found out we were brother & sister," Kurama said sheepishly. "But I've had some time to think about it. I felt drawn to you the moment I met you. I eventually assumed it was because I had some sort of feelings for you. Now that we know about our.. history… I don't think it was the kind of feeling I originally thought. I think I felt drawn to you because deep down I knew we were connected." He gave her another small smile. "That twin bond thing, I suppose."

"That makes sense," Jenny said thoughtfully. She nudged him with her elbow playfully. "Why is it that you got the gorgeous red hair & I got stuck with this brown hair, huh?"

Kurama laughed & nudged her back. "Luck, I guess."

 _It feels good to finally be back on good terms with him,_ she thought to herself. _I have a twin brother… someone to talk to now…._

"All joking aside, though, Jenny," Kurama said, his expression & tone turning more serious. "I want you to know that I'm here for you. I _am_ your brother  & I'm going to help protect you."

Jenny felt relief rush through her. _My brother_. "Thanks, Kurama." She pulled him into a hug. "You don't know how much it means to hear you say that."

She felt Kurama smile as he returned the hug.


	11. Chapter 11 - Surprises

**Author's Note:** Sorry for the delay in updating! I've been sick  & super busy with work. Enjoy! :)

 **Chapter 11 - Surprises**

Her eyes were squeezed tight. She was afraid to open them. She felt a searing pain between her legs & fingers digging into her breast so hard that she knew there had to be blood. She tried to scream, but nothing came out. Lips & teeth grazed her neck painfully. Terror seized her, but she was unable to fight off the figure atop her. She kept trying to scream, kept trying to make her body work to fight off the intruder, but she couldn't get anything to cooperate. She felt like she was suffocating.

"Jenny!" she heard a distant voice yell. _Strange…_ "Jenny! Wake up!"

Suddenly she was able to force her eyes open. Her eyes wildly roamed the room as she searched for the person that she'd felt on top of her. She soon realized something was off when all she saw was Hiei sitting next to her on the bed, his hands on her shoulders, looking more concerned than she'd seen him in a while.

 _A dream…,_ she thought groggily. She shuddered, feeling the residual effects of the dream. She could still feel a slight pain between her legs  & her breast stung. Her heart still raced uncontrollably.

"Hiei..? What are you doing here?" She asked, her voice sounding shaking.

Realizing she was finally awake & coherent, Hiei removed his hands from her shoulders. His eyes still held a look of worry. "I was up keeping watch & heard a lot of rustling in here. I was concerned that something was happening in here, so I rushed in," he said calmly. "You were flailing around & muttering like an insane person. I'm assuming you were just having a bad dream?" His voice took on a slight hint of annoyance in the last sentence, like it was a waste of his time to come in just for that reason.

Jenny nodded, still trying to catch her breath & calm her racing heart. _That dream.. I wonder…_

"Hiei, I think I just had a flashback."

"What?!"

"Yeah.. but it didn't tell me anything I didn't already know, unfortunately," Jenny said quietly. She suddenly felt self conscious & pulled the blanket up close around her shoulders. "It was a dream about… about what _he_ did to me…" She couldn't bring herself to say it. Her eyes began filling with tears.

 _Dammit… I don't want Hiei of all people to see me cry. He already thinks I'm a big enough wuss as it is._

"It was bound to happen at some point, I suppose," Hiei replied, his voice sounding kinder than she'd expected.

"I guess…" Jenny said. "I just didn't expect it to feel so… real. That dream, I mean… It…" her voice broke, the tears bursting through now. "It hurt… "

Before she knew it, she'd latched onto Hiei, crying hysterically into his shoulder. She felt him tense as her arms tightened around his neck. She didn't think before doing it, she'd simply felt the need to hold onto something, to cry & let it all out.

"I'm sorry, Hiei," she sputtered as she cried into his shoulder. "I know you hate humans… & I know you probably think I'm weak & all that right now, but I don't know what else to do." Her voice broke as she spoke. "It's strange & you probably won't understand, but I feel like you're my closest friend here right now. I just…. I just need to cry…" It all had rushed out before she'd had a chance to think any of it through.

She mentally slapped herself. _He probably thinks I'm a frickin' weirdo. I'm sure he hates me._

After a few moments of silence, she felt one of Hiei's hands rest on her shoulder. "Hn."

 _Hn…?_ She smiled inwardly for the briefest moment. She knew that was him letting her know it was okay. _That's probably the most I'll get out of him._

She wasn't quite sure how long they stayed like that, with her crying into him & his hand placed on her shoulder comfortingly. When she felt her sobs starting to slow she pulled back, wiping the tears away.

"Thanks, Hiei…" she whispered, then laughed. "Not quite what you expected, right?"

He gave a small smirk. "Not exactly." There was a short pause before he continued. "What you saw in this dream… was there anything that might be of use to us?"

Jenny shuddered again at the thought of what she felt in the dream. "No.. It was just… It was him.. On top of me.. Hurting me.." She stopped herself when she felt the tears starting to sting her eyes again. _I won't cry again. I can't._ "It was a flashback of something he did to me. I couldn't see him really, though. I just felt what he was doing.. What he did.. To me." She looked away from Hiei, suddenly feeling ashamed. Her face flushed.

"What he did to you," Hiei said sternly. "It wasn't your fault. Don't blame yourself."

"Thanks…" Jenny replied quietly, not quite sure what else to say.

"He'll pay for what he did," Hiei abruptly stood. "Now that I know nothing's actually happening in here, I'll go back to my watch & let you try to get some sleep."

Jenny nodded & laid back down, pulling the covers tight around her.

Hiei moved to leave, then stopped in the doorway, his back still to her. "And another thing. If you ever need someone to… to cry on again, just ask." Then he was gone.

Despite the terrifying dream she'd just had, she smiled. _I guess he actually does consider me a friend…. Huh? Life is full of surprises._

* * *

Jenny, Hiei, Yukina, & Genkai all sat in the kitchen eating a delicious pancake breakfast, courtesy of Kurama.

"So still no news from the others?" Yukina asked Genkai politely.

A few weeks had passed since Jin & Yusuke had left, but they still hadn't heard anything from them. Jenny had grown increasingly worried. The others tried to keep her mind off of worrying about Jin, but they hadn't been very successful.

"No, nothing yet." Genkai said. "I do hope we hear something soon, though. That nit wit always gets himself into all kinds of trouble. It'd be nice to know if we need to go drag him out of it or not."

At this, Kurama chuckled & Hiei smirked, shaking his head slightly.

Jenny stayed quiet, but this time it wasn't due to the topic of conversation. True, she was really worried about Jin, but right at this moment she felt really… strange.

Realization shot through her & she suddenly jumped up, knocking over the chair behind her. She ran to the door, threw it open just in time & began throwing up all of the pancakes she'd just eaten. When she'd finished, she wiped her mouth & turned to the others, who were staring at her with looks of surprise.

"Are you alright, Jenny?" Kurama asked with a worried expression. "Was something wrong with the pancakes?"

"I don't think so…" Jenny said quietly, feeling her face turn red with embarrassment. "I just don't feel very well right now. I think I'm gonna go lie down for a bit."

Without waiting for a response, she hurriedly left the kitchen & went straight to her room. After she closed the door, she laid down on the bed. She still felt nauseous, but there was something else. Something felt… off.

She heard a soft knock at the door. "Jenny? Can I come in?" a sweet voice spoke quietly.

 _Yukina._

"Um… sure," Jenny responded. As Yukina walked in, Jenny sat up on the edge of the bed.

"I hope I'm not intruding. I just wanted to check on you & make sure you're okay. Have you been feeling sick for long?" Yukina asked as she moved to place a hand on Jenny's forehead.

"Not exactly," Jenny began. "But I've felt…. Strange the past few days. Like something's different but I can't quite put my finger on it. I've felt a little sick to my stomach sometimes, but I don't really feel like I'm sick."

Yukina sat in thought for a moment, but then understanding spread across her face. "I apologize in advance if I'm being rude in any way, but before he left, did you & Jin…" Yukina blushed as she spoke. "Did you have.. Um.. intercourse?"

Jenny stared at Yukina for a moment. "What?!" Then suddenly it hit her. _Seriously? No way…._ "I mean… Jin  & I.. Yeah.. We…" She stuttered through the explanation before continuing. "You think I might be pregnant!?" The thought made her head spin.

"It's a possibility," Yukina said. "It would explain how you're feeling. Do you want me to check?"

Jenny moved back a little from Yukina. "You? Check? How?" She wasn't quite sure what she meant & it worried her more than she expected.

Yukina giggled. "If you'll let me put a hand on your abdomen I can check to see if I sense a life inside you. Nothing invasive, I promise."

Jenny eyed the female demon for a moment, then took a deep break. "Alright…."

"Lay back for me, please," Yukina asked.

Jenny obeyed, her heart racing. _Could I really be pregnant? What would that even mean?_

She felt Yukina place her hands gently on her lower abdomen. Yukina's eyes closed in concentration. Jenny watched her & time seemed to pass slowly. Finally, Yukina's eyes fluttered open. She stayed silent.

"Well?!" Jenny could hardly breath.

"You're definitely pregnant," Yukina said, seeming to be unsure of whether to give Jenny a smile or a comforting look.

A burst of a million different emotions ran through Jenny. She got the feeling that she'd always wanted to have kids, not that she knew for sure since she didn't really remember who she was before all this. _Me & Jin haven't even been together that long & he's been gone for half of that time. How are we possibly ready to have a kid? _She placed a hand on her belly. _A baby… Jin & I made this… Together…._ Part of her felt happy about the idea of her & Jin creating something together.

Her face must've shown the worry she was feeling. Yukina sat next to her on the bed. "I'm sure you're a little scared right now," she said. "And worried. Is there anything I can do?"

Yukina's voice brought her out of her thoughts. "Jin & I haven't been together long.." A new & more frightening thought struck her. "What if Jin isn't happy about having a baby. What if he leaves?"

Yukina placed one of Jenny's hands in between her palms & squeezed gently. "I don't think Jin seems like that type of guy."

"But what if this is too much?" Panic was starting to take over. "I mean, he's already having to deal with damaged goods. I don't know anything about my past & what we do know is that I was used for sex… & now I'm pregnant? That'd be too much for just about anybody!"

Yukina took Jenny's hand & guided it back to rest on Jenny's belly. She held it there. "There's a little life in there that you two created. I've seen the way Jin looks at you & I know the kind of guy he is. I've spent a good amount of time around him. He loves you & I know he'll be so excited about this little one."

Yukina's words calmed Jenny enough to allow that part of her that was excited to come through a little more. She smiled. "It is pretty incredible…"

"Yes, it is," Yukina said with a smile of her own. "I'm sure you'll need some time to process all this, but when you're ready I can help you with your next steps. We'll need to make sure you get some prenatal vitamins & I'm sure Genkai can help us find a doctor for you. One that we can trust. Maybe even one that can come here to you."

"Thanks, Yukina. I really appreciate all of this," Jenny said, genuinely thankful that Yukina had come in to check on her.

Yukina gave Jenny a small hug, then stood. "I'll give you some alone time & check in with you later.

After Yukina had gone, Jenny laid back on the bed. Her mind was reeling & her heart was thumping loudly in her chest. _I'm pregnant._ Those words kept repeating over  & over in her head. She knew Yukina was right. Jin was incredible & she was fairly certain he'd be happy about this, but she wasn't sure. The uncertainty scared her. What she did know, though, was that she was excited. Even with the fear that Jin might not be thrilled, she already felt a connection with the life growing inside her. She smiled & held a hand across her abdomen.

"Hello, little one…."

* * *

Jenny had decided to keep her pregnancy to herself for the next few days. Well.. herself, Genkai, & Yukina. She didn't quite feel ready to tell Hiei & Kurama about it yet. The three women had spent those few days figuring out how Jenny & the baby would get what they needed. After figuring things out, for the most part, Jenny had spent the rest of the time resting, using the excuse that she wasn't feeling well to avoid training with Hiei.

Jenny now stood in the doorway looking out into the yard. Hiei & Kurama both sat on the porch immersed in conversation. She watched them for a few moments, enjoying how relaxed they both looked. It had always amazed her how comfortable they were with each other. They were so different, but had a friendship with one another that was like nothing she'd seen with the others.

 _I suppose now is as good a time as any…..._ She took a deep breath, then stepped out onto the porch. Hiei  & Kurama both turned their heads.

"Hey, guys…" Jenny sat down next to Kurama, turning so she was facing both of them.

"Are you feeling any better?" Kurama asked.

Jenny sighed. "Well, that's what I came out here to talk to you about." The looks on Kurama & Hiei's faces turned more serious.

"Is something else wrong?" Hiei asked, crossing his arms in front of him.

"Not necessarily wrong, but I haven't been totally honest with you guys," she began nervously. "I'm not really sick." She paused, but the pair simply waited for her to continue. "You see, I'm actually pregnant."

Kurama & Hiei's eyes grew wide in unison as they stared at her. Kurama's jaw had dropped open ever so slightly, but Hiei's tensed.

"What?! So this whole time you haven't really been sick? You've been pregnant & haven't said anything?" Hiei asked, incredulous. "You've skipped out on your training because of that?!" He sounded more annoyed than anything, which made Jenny feel more than annoyed back at him.

"Well excuse me for needing some time to process finding out I was pregnant!" Jenny said huffily. "It's not like I had planned for this to happen."

"How are you feeling about all of this?" Kurama asked before Hiei could put together a response. Jenny was surprised to see a smile on his face.

 _He actually seems… happy about this?_

"Okay, I guess," Jenny replied. "I'm happy about it, if that's what you mean. Just a little nervous." She felt a little awkward talking to them about it. Her hand moved instinctively to her belly.

"Well I hope you're not going to skip out on your training entirely from this point on," Hiei said grumpily. "Just because you're pregnant doesn't mean this Kai person is going to just disappear."

"Yes, Hiei, we know," Kurama interjected calmly. "But you also need to understand that now that Jenny's pregnant she won't be able to train in quite the same way. She'll have to take it easier & be safe about it." He gave Jenny a small smile. "But it is important to keep up some kind of training. Hiei's right, Kai is still a threat."

"I know," Jenny said quietly. She flicked a glare at Hiei for a moment, feeling angry that he was more concerned with her training than he was about her being pregnant.

"Hn." Hiei abruptly stood & disappeared into the house without another word.

Kurama chuckled, then turned to look at Jenny, smiling. "Don't worry about him. He wouldn't be so concerned about your training if he wasn't actually concerned about you. He's just not always great at showing it."

Jenny rolled her eyes, but laughed. "Always a joy, isn't he."

"Are you excited to tell Jin about the pregnancy?" Kurama asked suddenly.

Jenny's smile slowly disappeared. "More nervous than excited. What if he isn't happy? It's all happened so fast."

Kurama put a hand on her shoulder. "I have no doubt he'll be thrilled. He really cares about you."

"I hope so…" Jenny muttered, then looked over at him. "What do you think of all this?"

"Me?" Kurama smiled & turned his eyes to look up at the sky. "I'm a little shocked, but when you told me I felt… happy." He paused for a few moments, apparently thinking through what he was going to say next. "I'm going to be an uncle, now. That's not something I'd ever imagined I'd be. It's a nice surprise, honestly. I'm not quite sure how to put it into words."

Jenny watched him for a while. _We've come a long way…._ Her vision began to blur as tears slowly welled up in her eyes. "You don't know how happy it makes me to hear that," she said, wrapping her arms around his shoulders as she hugged him.

Kurama put an arm around her. "I'm glad." He smiled down at her. "I guess this means I really do need to get going, then."

Jenny moved back a bit to look at him. "Huh?"

"I was just talking with Hiei out here about what I was going to do about Kai," Kurama said. "I feel like I'm not doing anyone much good by staying here. I have my own sources & I want to be able to help. I was planning on leaving soon to do some research on Kai, but I didn't feel the need to rush out of here until now." He moved a hand toward her abdomen, giving her a look that asked permission. Jenny smiled & helped guide his hand to place it above the baby. "Now that there's more at stake, I really do need to leave & get started with my search for information. We need to take care of this Kai situation as soon as possible."

The thought of Kai coming after her now, knowing she's pregnant, made Jenny's blood run cold.


	12. Chapter 12 - Goodbyes

**Chapter 12 - Goodbye**

"A little help here, guys!"

Jenny, Hiei, Kurama, Genkai, & Yukina had all been in the kitchen eating dinner when they heard the frantic voice screaming from outside. Everyone jumped from their seats, sharing quick glances with each other before moving towards the door.

"Yusuke!" Kurama announced as they all ran to the door.

 _Yusuke? So that must mean Jin is back, too!_ Jenny felt her heart swell for a brief moment, but when she reached the porch  & saw Yusuke it felt like her heart stopped. She stood frozen on the top step, the others rushing past her to move to him.

Yusuke, who appeared to be exhausted, was holding up an unconscious Jin. Jin was a wreck. His clothes were shreds & he had injuries all over his body that were bleeding profusely.

"Hurry up! Help me get him inside!" Yusuke yelled angrily. Kurama was already on the other side of Jin. He wrapped an arm around the unconscious demon & took on some of his weight, helping Yusuke carry him toward the house.

 _Jin…. No….!_ Finally pulling herself out of her trance, she raced toward Jin. Kurama put an arm out to stop her before she grabbed onto him.

"We've got him. Let us carry him inside. Please, Jenny," Kurama said calmly, but his tone left no room for argument.

She paused, running her hands frantically through her hair. _What do I do?,_ she thought to herself. _I need to do something…._ Her mind was racing  & she couldn't seem to put together a coherent thought. She felt tears streaming down her face

She felt a hand on her back that startled her back into reality. She realized she'd been standing outside, not moving, for who knows how long. She turned to see Hiei standing next to her. His eyes held a look she'd never seen in them before.. Was it pity? She looked past him to see that Yusuke & Kurama had already gotten Jin to the door.

"Come on, let's go," Hiei said.

Fear welling up even more strongly inside her, she broke into a run to catch up with the others. Hiei followed close behind. When she finally caught up to them, they were moving Jin into their bedroom.

"What the hell happened?" Genkai asked as she watched Yusuke & Kurama lay Jin carefully down on the bed.

Jenny rushed past Genkai & sat on the bed next to Jin. She frantically grabbed onto his hand as her eyes scanned his body. _He's really hurt…_ Jin's forehead was beaded with sweat & it was obvious he was in pain even if he was unconscious.

Jenny turned her head to look at Yusuke. "Are you going to answer Genkai?! What happened?!" Her words came out with more fury behind them than she'd expected. She could barely see Yusuke through the tears that were filling her eyes again.

A hand touched her shoulder & she heard Yukina telling her that she needed to calm down, that it wasn't good for the baby, but she barely heard her. Jenny's eyes were fixed on Yusuke, waiting for a response.

Yusuke looked at Jenny warily, then pulled his gaze away from her to look at Genkai. "We'd found a few leads about where Kai might be. Jin wanted to find this guy as fast as possible, so we agreed to split up & check out a few of them on our own. You know, to help speed things up. My lead ended up being a complete dud & took no time at all, so I decided to meet up with Jin to help him out. When I got there, though, I saw that at least one of our leads had been good." He sighed & moved his gaze to Jin. "This Kai is one hell of a strong demon. By the time I'd gotten there Jin had taken quite the beating."

Jenny's breath caught in her throat. _Kai did this?!_ She felt anger boiling up all over again, but this time it was directed at herself. _This is my fault! He was out there looking for Kai because of me. And now…._ Her eyes took in Jin's unconscious body.

"How did you get him out of there then? Did you end up getting rid of Kai?" Hiei asked impatiently.

"When I got there, I heard Jin yelling something at Kai about not being used against Jenny anymore & Kai was arguing back at him. Then Jin went after him with everything he had, but it wasn't anywhere near enough. I tried to get there in time, but I just wasn't fast enough. Kai's last attack did this to Jin." Yusuke clenched his fists, his jaw tight with anger. "Kai finally saw me coming, but he didn't seem to want anything to do with fighting me. He had some sort of portal appear behind him & he disappeared, along with the portal, before I could even lay a hand on him. As much as I wanted to go after him, I knew I had no way to find a portal & get to him before he disappeared… and I knew I had to get Jin back here if there was any chance to…."

Yusuke's voice broke & for the first time since they'd arrived, Jenny saw just how hard this was for Yusuke, too. _These two are really close,_ Jenny thought to herself. _He's got to be hurting, too._

"Yukina, is there anything you can do for him?" Kurama asked, turning away from Yusuke to look at Yukina.

 _Why didn't I think of that?_ Hope began to swell up inside her. She stood up  & turned to Yukina. "Please, Yukina! You have to help him!"

Yukina looked timidly between Jenny & Kurama, then rested her eyes on Jin. "I'll see what I can do."

Jenny took a step back so Yukina had plenty of room. "He has to be okay… He has to," Jenny whispered to herself. She felt an arm slip around her shoulder & pull her close comfortingly.

"I'm sure everything will be fine," Kurama said, forcing a smile. "Just try to relax. Remember what Yukina said."

 _The baby… But Jin…_ All Jenny could do was nod at Kurama's words as she watched Yukina holding her hands to Jin. Her eyes were closed in concentration as she moved her hands to various injuries on his body. It seemed to take forever. The room was tense  & no one spoke as they watched her work. Finally, Yukina pulled her hands away from Jin & turned to face the group. Her eyes were downcast. Jenny's heart pounded so loud she was sure everyone else had to hear it, too.

"I'm so sorry," Yukina began, her voice so quiet Jenny had to strain to hear it. "His injuries are too much. He's lost a lot of blood. I'm honestly surprised he's still alive right now. At this point, unfortunately, there's nothing I could do to help him." She lifted her eyes to meet Jenny's. "I'm so sorry…."

"You can't be serious!" Jenny's eyes flared with frustration, but her face grew pale. "Look at him again! He can't.. You can't mean he's going to-" Jenny felt her legs give out beneath her as she slid to the floor. Kurama moved to support her, but Jenny pushed his arms away angrily as she cried.

"I'm sorry, Jenny," Yukina said softly, a tear sliding down her own cheek. "There's nothing any of us can do. We need to say our goodbyes."

Jenny sat on her knees, tears falling freely, as she forced herself to bring her eyes back up to look at Jin. She felt her heart breaking as Yukina's words sank in. _How can I possibly say goodbye to him? I can't do this…_

"J….. Jen… ny…" a hoarse, pained voice that wasn't much more than a faint whisper came from the bed.

 _He's awake!?_ Jenny's eyes grew wide in disbelief before she stumbled over to the bed clumsily. "Jin!? Jin, I'm here!" She knelt next to the bed & grabbed onto his hand with both of hers. She kissed his hand frantically to let him know she was there. His eyes were still closed, but she saw the faintest smile grace his lips.

"I… I'm.. sorry," Jin said weakly, gasping for breath between words. "I wasn't… strong… enough ta… get rid… 'o Kai… couldn't… protect ya."

"Shhh…" I urged. "You have nothing to be sorry for. Just rest, please! You'll be fine…"

Jin winced in pain before speaking. "Can ya… give me.. Some time wit'…. Jenny…. Alone.. Please?" His words were directed to the others in the room.

 _This has to be good, right? He's awake & speaking… He has to be okay._

Genkai spoke first. "Let's give them some time." She moved to leave the room. "Let's go."

Hiei, Kurama & Yukina followed immediately, giving one last sorrowful glance to Jin, but Yusuke moved to stand next to the bed.

"You son of a bitch, Jin… Why'd ya gotta go do something this crazy on your own?" Yusuke's voice was shaking with emotion. "You've always gotta try to one up me, don't you." He gave a small laugh. "When you get better you'll owe me."

Jin gave Yusuke a small smile. "Sure… Urameshi…"

And with that, Yusuke's face turned red & he hurriedly rushed out of the room, closing the door behind him. Jenny was certain she'd caught a glimpse of tears in his eyes.

Jenny moved to sit on the bed next to him & ran a hand through his hair. "You have no idea how relieved I am that you're awake right now-"

"Lay…. down next ta... me," Jin mumbled.

Jenny did as he asked, careful to avoid bumping his injuries. He carefully moved an arm so she was laying next to him, her head laying on his chest & his arm around her shoulder. She laid an arm across his chest. His breathing was coming in short gasps that she could feel now that she was lying so close to him. _It feels so good to be next to him now after so many weeks… but…_ She closed her eyes as hot tears slid down her cheeks  & onto his shoulder.

"I'm not…. Gonna make it….." His voice shook & she could hear the emotion behind his words. She began to protest, insisting that he was wrong, but he cut her off. "There's nothin'... Ta be done.. About it… I can feel it." He pulled her closer against him & she could feel his own tears sliding down onto her skin. "I just… I just wanted… ta be.. Wit' ya right now…." He winced in pain again & squeezed his eyes shut.

Jenny sat up & looked down into Jin's face. "You can't leave…," she said softly. Her gaze moved down to her belly & she placed a hand above her growing child. "Jin…." _How do I tell him this? After everything… And he's…_ It broke her heart to even think the word… _dying._ "Jin…. I'm pregnant." Her voice broke as she spoke  & tears flooded her vision. She was terrified.

For the first time, Jin's eyes opened. That simple movement seemed to hurt him, but he stared at her for several long moments. "What…?"

The words started tumbling out of her mouth before she even realized. "I know we haven't been together very long & I come with so much baggage & I'm sure you didn't want this yet… & now…." She put her other hand over her mouth as a sob escaped. She shut her eyes tight as she waited for his words.

She felt a trembling hand move to rest on her belly next to her own hand. "Pregnant…." To her surprise, his voice held a hint of awe. "We made… a… baby?" Jenny nodded slowly, opening her eyes to look at him finally. His face held a stunned look & his eyes were on her belly. He smiled up at her. "You're…. Amazin'"

"What are you-" before she could finish her sentence, he pulled her down to hold her close to him again. She felt him sob as he clutched at her back.

"I'm so… sorry…" he said whispered to her. "I wish… I could be here… wit' ya… this baby… I'm so happy…."

"Happy…?" Jenny whispered back into his neck.

"Yes…." Jin said quietly. "Look… at me…"

Jenny moved so she was looking into his eyes just a few inches from his face. To her surprise, he kissed her. It was as if his injuries didn't hurt him anymore. It was a kiss so passionate that if Jenny didn't know better she'd think he was perfectly healthy. For that brief moment, her fear was gone & it was just the two of them again.

He broke the kiss & looked into her eyes. "I love you… & I love… our baby." He studied her face as he spoke & ran a hand through the back of her hair, slowly tracing it down her neck. "I… want ya… ta be happy... " His eyes slid closed, exhausted.

"I love you too, Jin. So much…." Jenny whispered as she laid her head on his shoulder again. Jenny watched as his chest moved up & down as he slept, clinging on to whatever hope she still had.

The pair held each other for what seemed like hours. She felt fear creeping back into her when she saw his breathing start to slow. His chest moved less & less in time with his breathing until, finally, it stopped altogether.

 _No…._ Jenny sat up & began shaking Jin's shoulders. _No… You can't leave me.. Us…_ Tears began rushing down her face anew. After a few moments she realized shaking him was pointless. She laid her head on his chest, begging her ears to find a heartbeat. She heard none. _No…. This can't be happening…_ Her heart raced so fast she thought she might explode. Her vision blurred.

Jenny screamed, filling the air with her sorrow & pain.

She vaguely remembered the others rushing into the room. Mostly she remembered her own screams & the sorrow that had taken over her entirely. The others had tried to make her leave the room, had told her she needed to rest, but she'd refused. She wouldn't leave him. She couldn't. She remembered Kurama & Hiei both trying to console her, but she ignored them. Genkai tried to convince her that they should move Jin's body, but she refused to let Genkai come near him. None of that mattered to her at that moment. She refused to leave the bedroom that night. She held onto Jin, in the bed that they'd shared so many nights together, & cried. She didn't want to let go. She couldn't.

He was gone. Jin was gone. And it was her fault.


	13. Chapter 13 - Picking Up the Pieces

**Author's Note** : This is a bit of a transition chapter... I'm excited about where this story's going, too! I've also thought of a "sequel" story to do after this one is over... & it's a cross-over with another anime! :)

 **Chapter 13 - Picking Up the Pieces**

They'd held a funeral for Jin the following evening. Genkai & the others had made all of the arrangements. Jenny hadn't felt up to doing anything but staying in her room & crying. She knew she should be out there helping with the preparations…. It was for Jin… But she just couldn't bring herself to do it. Even leaving the room for the funeral had been difficult.

It had been a beautiful afternoon, surprisingly. The sun was beating down warmly on the group as they stood around the site behind Genkai's house where they were going to bury Jin. Everyone had been crying. Well, everyone except Hiei & Kurama who seemed entirely too composed to ever cry in front of anyone. Even Genkai had shed a few tears. Yusuke had been almost hysterical in his grief, though he tried to hide it. Jenny was in a haze, staring in disbelief as she stood looking down at the casket Genkai had managed to get her hands on. Before closing the lid, Jenny had given Jin one last kiss goodbye. That's what caused her to break down again. She wept as she held onto him for the last time. Kurama had to pull her gently away from Jin so they could bury him. He led her back to her room.

And that's where she stayed for most of the next few weeks. Genkai & Yukina came in to help her & make sure she was okay, gave her food, & helped check on the baby. The baby was about the only thing that kept Jenny going at that point. She knew she needed to keep up her strength for her baby… Jin's baby. That thought alone brought her to tears.

 _How can I do this without him?_

* * *

"What are we going to do about her?" Hiei asked. "She can't just stay in there forever. She can be sad all she wants, but Kai's still out there. She needs to be getting stronger & focusing on protecting herself."

"We know that, Hiei," Kurama stated calmly. "She's in a delicate spot right now, though. We can't push her too much. We need to give her some more time."

"You're just saying that because she's your sister…" Hiei mumbled, annoyed.

"Hiei's right, Kurama," Genkai interrupted. "We need to do a serious intervention with Jenny to make sure she's safe. This can't be good for the baby, either."

"Do I get any say in this?" Jenny stepped out from around the corner where she'd been listening. Her hair was a disheveled mess & she was still in the black shorts & tank top she'd worn to bed the past few nights, but she'd woken up that morning feeling more rested than she'd felt since before Jin had died. She still felt miserable & heartbroken, but she felt the need to get out of her room for the first time in a while. She'd come out into the hallway to go to the kitchen for some food when she'd heard voices in the living room & stopped to listen in.

The others stared at her in disbelief, eyes wide.

"Jenny! You're up!" Yukina stood up & rushed over to her. "How are you feeling?"

Jenny gave her a small smile. "Miserable, but a more rested miserable at least now. I actually got some sleep last night. I wanted to get some food when I heard you all talking in here about what to do with me."

"Yeah… about that…" Kurama gave a small laugh. "We're just worried about you."

Jenny sat on the couch between Hiei & Kurama. She ran a hand through her hair to try to straighten out the tangled mess. After realizing it was hopeless, she moved her hands to her lap & sighed. "I know I can't stay in there forever. It's just… I'm having a really hard time dealing with all of this," she said quietly. She looked over at Hiei. "You're right. I know Kai is still out there & I know I need to work on protecting myself, but it's more than that." She put her hand on her belly. "I'm almost 3 months pregnant. Jin & I made this little one together. I can't just wallow in self-pity. He wouldn't have wanted that. I need to stay healthy & do whatever I can to protect myself for our child's sake. It's not just about me, now. No matter how I feel, that won't change the truth of things." Jenny glanced nervously around the room.

Hiei watched her silently, taking in her words without speaking.

"We're still willing to help train you," Genkai said. "But you need to promise to take better care of yourself. Shutting yourself in your room & crying all the time won't help you or your baby, like you said."

"We're here to help," Kurama smiled, putting a hand on her shoulder.

"Thanks," Jenny muttered. She felt tears starting to sting her eyes, but she forced herself to hold them back. _I can't do that after I just promised them not to…_

"I hope you're serious about this," Hiei grumbled. "I know you're pregnant & can't do certain things, but you have a lot of training to catch up on. I won't be going too easy on you."

The normalcy of Hiei's annoyance made Jenny smile. "I wouldn't expect anything less from you, Hiei," Jenny laughed as she elbowed his arm gently.

"Hn."

* * *

The next week seemed to drag on forever. Jenny tried to put her heart into her training, but all she could think about was Jin. Everywhere she looked there was a memory of him. She'd start to cry in the middle of training, which just angered Hiei. Genkai was at least a little more understanding, but Hiei didn't put up with it. He'd get frustrated & leave for the rest of the day, leaving Genkai to work alone with Jenny. Finally one day, when Jenny began tearing up during training, Hiei snapped.

"What the hell is wrong with you?!" Hiei angrily pushed Jenny's back hard against a tree. "Don't you understand you need to learn how to protect yourself?!"

Tears streaming down her face, she looked away from his glare. "You have no idea what I'm going through, Hiei," she said quietly.

"Shut up," Hiei snapped back at her. "You say that, but I think you're the one who doesn't understand! You act like Jin's all that's important to you, yet you aren't even willing to protect yourself or your baby! Do you think that's what he'd want you to do? Do you think he'd want you to give up like this!?" He growled at her. "Look at me!"

Jenny brought her eyes back up to meet his. Her back ached where he was pressing it against the tree. She was sure she'd have a bruise there tomorrow. Something in her suddenly flipped. "How dare you!" she yelled at him. "You say all that, yet you're the one who flung my pregnant ass up against the tree that hard! Don't act like you care at all what happens!" Her fists clenched & before she realized what was doing, she saw her right arm moving toward Hiei. He easily dodged her punch, but her outburst had surprised him. Anger raged through her.

 _How can he stand there yelling at me like that! He has no idea what I'm going through!_

Her eyes glared at Hiei intensely as she continued to try to hit him, her arms flying & hot, angry tears streaming down her face. Hiei continued to easily avoid her punches.

After a few moments, Hiei grasped her arms in his fists. "Stop," he commanded. His eyes no longer held the anger they had earlier. Ignoring him, Jenny brought her leg up to kick him, but Hiei was too fast. Before she knew it she was on the ground laying on her back with Hiei above her. He'd caused her to lose her balance. She was surprised to see that he'd put an arm around her back to help soften the fall.

The pair watched each other in an awkward silence. Hiei had positioned himself above her, forcing her to stay on the ground. He had one arm still behind her back from breaking her fall & the other placed firmly on the ground next to her shoulder. Jenny glared up at his face, which was closer to hers than she was comfortable with, but a lot of the fight had gone out of her.

"That's the kind of fire you're going to need," Hiei said sternly. "You need to be angry. Take that & use it. Kai is the reason why Jin isn't here anymore. Focus yourself on getting stronger & protecting yourself….. And your baby." He slid his arm from behind her back & stood up, brushing off his pants.

Jenny sat up on her elbows, looking up at him. _Dammit… He's right._ Finally, she sighed & looked away from him. "You're right," she muttered under her breath.

Hiei smirked. "What was that? I couldn't hear you."

Jenny tried to give him her best glare, but she knew she failed. "I said, you're right." She pushed herself up into a standing position & stretched her back, which was now bothering her more. "I needed that…." she gave him a small, sheepish smile. "Thanks…"

"Hn," was Hiei's reply. "I think we've had enough for today. We'll continue tomorrow." He turned to walk back to the house, but paused. "You don't have to handle this all on your own. Kurama & I are both here." He glanced over his shoulder at her. "We'll protect you. I won't let anything happen to you." He quickly turned & began walking back toward the house.

Jenny felt a sudden rush of gratitude for the fire demon. _He acts all tough, but he's really a good friend.. Even though he tries to pretend he isn't._ She smiled for a moment, enjoying a moment of happiness that she hadn't had in a long time. "Wait up!" She yelled as she hurried after him, feeling more hopeful about what awaited her in the future.

 _I've got this…._


	14. Chapter 14 - Friends

**Author's Note:** I loved writing this chapter! I'm so excited about the next few chapters to come. I'd love to hear your thoughts! :)

 **Chapter 14 - Friends**

Another month flew by & Jenny was finally beginning to feel more like her old self… well, the old self she knew, anyway. The pain of Jin's loss always hung in the back of her mind, though. Deep down she still felt guilty, still felt like it was her fault he was gone. But instead of letting it overwhelm her with grief, she began using her pain in her training. Hiei was right. She needed to focus her energy & anger over losing Jin to the one who'd ultimately caused it… Kai.

She'd made a promise to herself after that talk with Hiei. A promise to Jin. A promise that she'd push forward & live, for herself & their baby. She knew she had to find a way to stop Kai.

Thankfully, her training was going better than expected! Genaki (& even Hiei!) seemed impressed by her progress. She still wasn't anywhere near where she'd need to be to defeat someone like Kai & she probably never would be, but Jenny felt better knowing she was at least able to defend herself reasonably well now.

Being almost 4 months pregnant, the training had most certainly changed & wasn't as physical as it had been in the beginning. It now focused more on how to use her spirit energy. To her surprise, she discovered that being able to sense & (somewhat) use her spirit energy she could really feel the child growing inside her. She could sense the baby's presence all the time now, in a way she hadn't been able to before. It was an incredible feeling that she cherished. It was her connection to Jin.

Yusuke, Kuwabara, Keiko, Yukina & Kurama had also stuck around after the funeral. Sometimes the other guys would join in on the training. These were some of the best training sessions she'd had, honestly. They were by far the most entertaining. She loved getting to spar with Kurama, especially. Their sibling relationship had really taken a turn for the best in that month, with them joking around, picking on each other & generally acting like brother & sister for the first time.

* * *

Jenny, wearing her usual training outfit of black workout shorts & a black tank top, flopped down onto the ground, breathing heavily. "I need a break, Hiei," she panted. "This whole pregnancy thing is absolutely exhausting & this is the longest training session we've had in awhile." Hiei sat down next to her & passed her a water bottle, which she took gratefully. He hadn't even broken a sweat. _Damn, demons,_ Jenny thought, annoyed.

"Humans really are a weak species," he said, smirking. "Carry a child & you act like you can't do anything anymore."

Jenny elbowed him in the side playfully. "It's not that I'm acting, jerk face. I can't. It's not safe for me or the baby. I have to take it easy." She stuck her tongue out at him. "Just wait until after this baby's born & I get the okay from Yukina to really train… I'll whoop your ass!"

"Hn, I'd like to see you try…" Hiei chuckled. His voice suddenly took on a more serious tone. "I will admit, though, I am impressed with your abilities so far… for a human. Not that you'd do well in a real fight with a demon." He adjusted the bandages on his arm as he spoke. "Considering that you're pregnant & a mere human, you're doing okay."

"Gee, thanks, Hiei!" Jenny said sarcastically. "But in all seriousness, I do appreciate you & Genkai training me, especially considering the state I'm in right now. It means a lot."

"We can't let you die yet," Hiei stated calmly. "Not until I get the chance to really fight you after this whole pregnancy thing is over." Jenny laughed & elbowed him again. The pair sat in silence for a time, enjoying the early spring weather.

"I've been thinking…," Jenny said quietly.

"Uh-oh…"

"Shut up! I'm serious," Jenny groaned. "When I first met you guys the fact that I didn't know anything about my past really bothered me. It was kind of my mission to find out who I was. I know I've learned some of the "big stuff" about my past now & I can't say I'm excited about any of it. But I've been thinking & I've realized I don't really care about what else happened in my past." She stared out across the yard toward the forest, feeling Hiei's eyes watching her intently. Her hand rested habitually on her growing belly. "I feel really content with where I am." When Hiei snorted, she smiled & continued. "Other than fact that the father of my child died almost two months ago & the guy that killed him used to own me as a sex slave & wants to hurt me or get me back or whatever it is he wants to do."

"Hn." Hiei grunted.

"I'm just saying I don't feel the need to go out & learn more about my life before now. I want to focus on getting stronger & living the life I want from this point on. I want to be the person Jin would've wanted me to be. I need to move forward." Jenny sighed & turned her gaze to Hiei. "Is that selfish? Part of me feels…. Guilty, I guess… that I'm trying to, I dunno, "get on with my life" or whatever that saying is."

Hiei consider her for a few moments, watching her silently. " I don't think that's selfish at all. It's how you survive. Bad things happen, you deal with them, & you move on. There's nothing else to do."

"Yeah, I guess…," Jenny muttered. "I still feel guilty, though."

"Besides, you don't exactly have the luxury of locking yourself in your room & crying when Kai's out there somewhere," Hiei replied. "You never know when he could try something again. The fact that you're Kurama's sister really complicates things." He gave her a rare smile as he continued. "But like I said, I'm impressed with your abilities so far. And I suppose I have to admit that I'm impressed with how you've bounced back after everything that's happened."

Jenny was a bit taken aback. Hiei had never really given her a compliment like that before & it caught her off guard. She eyed him cautiously before she spoke. "Hiei, you know I consider you one of my best friends, right? We've been through alot together. You saved me from Jin the night of the party way back when, you found my real mom, & now you're helping me with my training… It really does mean a lot to me. I feel like I can talk to you about things," Jenny said quietly. "Thank you, Hiei… I know you're a big tough guy & don't like all this mushy human stuff, but I wanted you to know."

"Hn," Hiei turned his head away from her, but Jenny could see the hint of an embarrassed blush on his cheeks. "Don't mention it."

She broke into a grin & gave him a playful punch on the shoulder. "Aw, Hiei! You keep talking like that & I'm gonna think you actually care, friend!"

"You're still a weak human," Hiei said with a mocking grin on his face. "You should be more careful about who you punch."

In an instant he was gone. Jenny spun her head around, trying to find him. She finally caught sight of him behind her, standing smugly with his arms crossed. She grinned, quickly scrambled to her feet, then ran at him ready to punch. Hiei dodged her easily, as usual. This went on for a few minutes, with Hiei disappearing & reappearing randomly while Jenny tried to hit him, before Hiei finally appeared behind Jenny & kicked her feet out from under her. Jenny spun as she fell so she'd land on her back. As she landed, she felt Hiei powerfully pin her arms above her head. He had one leg placed on each side of her, holding her in place.

"See what I mean?" Hiei smirked.

"Yeah, yeah…" Jenny groaned, feeling a tree root jabbing hard into her back. "You win again. I can't wait to wipe that smug look off your face someday." She tried to pull a wrist free, but Hiei tightened his grip on her. Jenny watched him with an intense gaze as he stared back at her.

Hiei finally spoke up, keeping his eyes locked on hers. "You're not alone, you know." His voice was quieter than normal & his eyes held a look Jenny had never seen on him before.

 _Pity? No.. not quite._

Jenny suddenly became acutely aware of how close Hiei was to her, how their bodies were touching. She felt his strong grip around her wrists & his muscled thighs pressing against her side. Awkwardness crept in, along with something else that made her feel a little uncomfortable. _What's going on? Why's he acting like this?_

She was broken out of her thoughts by the realization that Hiei's face was closer to hers than it had been a moment earlier. She felt his breath on her lips & her heart began to race. He hovered there for a moment, seeming to be unsure of what to do next, before a voice broke the silence & shocked them both back into reality.

"Stop playing around, guys! It's time for dinner!" Kuwabara's voice boomed from the doorway. "You can go back to training later!"

 _He must not have seen…._

Hiei abruptly shot to his feet & turned his back to Jenny. She pushed herself up onto her elbows & looked at him.

"Hiei-?"

"Go inside for dinner. You need to keep up your strength," Hiei interrupted. "I'm not hungry." He began walking towards the woods, hands in his pockets, purposely avoiding turning around to look at her.

Jenny watched him in confused silence as she stood up. _What the hell was that?_ She put a finger to her lips, feeling where his breath had touched. _That was so… unlike Hiei._

Kuwabara yelled to her again, breaking her from her thoughts. "Alright! I'm coming!" Jenny yelled back at the doorway. She brushed off the back of her shorts as she walked toward the house.

As she approached, Kuwabara asked, "Where's pipsqueak going?" He nodded his head in the direction Hiei had went.

"Who knows….," Jenny responded honestly. "Let's go eat. I'm starving!"

* * *

After dinner, Jenny had decided to go to bed early, telling the others she was exhausted from the day's training & wanted to get caught up on sleep. She changed into the new pajamas that Keiko had brought her as a surprise gift to cheer her up. A black, thin strapped tank top & black spandex shorts. They weren't much different than what she normally wore to bed, but the fabric was so much more comfortable.

She laid in bed for hours, thinking about everything from Kai, her training, & Jin. She'd been avoiding it, but finally her thoughts drifted to Hiei. _What had he been thinking, holding me down like that, getting so close…?_ She was finally starting to feel like she had the slightest bit of control & he has to go make things confusing? _Maybe it was nothing… He's a friend. He just wants to protect me. But it sure_ felt _different…._

She sat up & stretched her sore arms. She glanced over at the clock. _Jeez, I didn't realize how late it was…._ She stood up, moved to the door  & slid it open. The house was quiet, meaning everyone had already gone to bed. She slipped out into the hallway & down to the kitchen. After grabbing a glass of water, she then moved outside. She stood sipping the water, enjoying the cool evening breeze in the yard.

A glimmer of red between the trees suddenly caught her eye. _What the….?_ She stiffened, looking out into the forest to see if she could see it again. A few seconds later, she saw something that made her breath catch in her throat. She let the glass fall from her hand onto the soft grass below. Her eyes wide, she began moving slowly toward the forest, toward him.

 _Jin…?!_

She couldn't believe what she was seeing. She'd felt him die, saw them bury him right here in this yard. But there he was…. His red hair, his beautiful playful eyes staring back at her, the typical smirk playing across his lips. He stood in between two trees just a few steps away from the edge of the yard. He was silent, but as she moved closer, he reached a hand out to her, beckoning her to come to him. His smile grew wider & Jenny closed the distance between them as fast as she could. Hope washed over her.

When she reached him she threw her arms around his neck, tears already streaming down her face. She felt his strong arms wrap around her waist & pull her closer. She sobbed uncontrollably into his shoulder. It felt so good to have her arms around him, smell his familiar scent. She couldn't believe how much she'd missed it.

She moved back & looked into his eyes. "Jin… I've missed you so much! How-?"

Jin moved one of his hands to the back of her head, tangling his fingers in her hair like he always used to do, & pulled her into a passionate kiss that made Jenny weak in the knees. He slid his other hand down to her hip & pulled her closer with a roughness that Jenny knew meant he wanted to do more. She could feel him hard against her hips. She moaned against him, letting the wonderful feel of him wash over her.

Jin broke their kiss, but stayed close enough to let his lips brush hers as he spoke. "I've missed you, Jenny."

Jenny's heart stopped. She knew that voice. Her entire body began to tremble & she felt her legs give out beneath her, but strong arms held her up. A thousand emotions ran through her. Fear. Sadness. Pain. Despair. Jin hadn't come back. She wasn't back in his arms. Painful memories came flooding back all at once.

"Kai…," she whispered shakily.


	15. Chapter 15 - Fear

**Author's Note:** Parts of the story from this point on will be told from a few points of view. This one's a little shorter, but I promise the next chapter will be longer with more action. I'd really like to hear what you think of it so far!

 **Chapter 15 - Fear**

Hiei tensed where he sat on the tree branch. He turned his head in the direction of the new energy he now sensed. _That energy... It's strong._ Realization sent a shock wave through him. _It has to be Kai…. Jenny!_ He jumped out of the tree instantly  & began moving to where he sensed the energy. _Just outside of Genkais…._ His heart raced as adrenaline coursed through him.

He skidded to a halt at the spot where he'd sensed the energy just moments before. Nothing was there. Frantically he looked around, trying to find a sign that Kai or Jenny had been there. Finally he noticed black cloth on the ground at his feet. He picked it up, eyeing it cautiously & feeling the fabric between his fingers. He could smell her scent on it. _This is Jenny's. Her pajama tank top._ He felt anger boiling to the surface as he gripped the torn tank top in his fist. _Kai has her._

Hiei raced into Genkai's, still clutching the black fabric. "Everyone wake up! Now!" His voice rang out through the house, commanding & firm. He could hear the scurrying sounds of people being jolted awake by the sound of his voice & then doors opening.

"What the hell, Hiei!?" Yusuke threw his door open & stood staring down the hallway angrily. Hiei saw others joining him in the hallway, confused looks donned on their faces.

"Kai was here. He took Jenny," Hiei tried to keep his voice steady, but his anger was obvious.

"What?!" Kurama raced down the hallway to confront Hiei. "What do you mean he took Jenny?!" His face had turned ashen with fear.

"No!" Keiko cried out as she grabbed onto Yusuke's arm.

Hiei clenched his fists. "I was out in the woods & I suddenly felt an enormous energy just outside of Genkai's. I had a feeling it was Kai & when I went to that spot, I found this." He held out the shredded black tank top for them to see. "It's Jenny's. It was the only sign of them I found. They were gone before I could get there." He gritted his teeth in frustration.

Realization & fear spread across the faces of everyone in the hall as it sunk in. _Kai has Jenny. Who know's what he's done to her…. He's already…._ Hiei looked down at the scrap of fabric in his hand, worrying about what Kai had done to her to do this to the tank top.

"We have to find her!" Kuwabara said angrily. Yukina put a hand on Kuwabara's arm, trying to calm him somewhat.

To Hiei's dismay, he saw that Yukina had come from Kuwabara's room. He growled inwardly. _I'll deal with that later…._

"I'm leaving now to find her," Hiei said sternly. "Who's going with me?" He was already moving to the door when Kurama grasped his shoulder firmly. Hiei turned cold eyes toward him, warning him to let go.

"I don't think it's wise to just go off like that, Hiei," Kurama's voice had an icy edge. "I'm just as angry as you are & I want to find Jenny & keep her safe, too, but we don't even know where Kai is. We've been looking & haven't had any luck. Running around at random trying to find her is pointless. We need a plan."

Hiei spun on Kurama, seething with anger. "Well speak up, then! Tell me your plan! I'm not going to sit around here while Kai's doing who knows what!"

Kurama took a deep breath without backing down from the fire demon. "I understand how you feel. I feel the same way, if not more. I'm her brother. But we need to do something that will actually help her."

Yusuke moved to step in between the two demons. "Calm down, guys. I have a plan." Kurama & Hiei turned to look at Yusuke.

"Well? Out with it!" Hiei spat.

"We haven't checked in with Koenma in a few days. He's been keeping an eye out for Kai sightings. Now that Kai's shown himself out here, maybe Koenma was able to spot him. Maybe he was able to track where Kai went after he left here," Yusuke said quickly, glancing between the two irate demons.

"That's it! We'll just ask Koenma! He's got to know something by now," Kuwabara interjected.

"That sounds reasonable," Kurama said slowly as he thought over the plan. "I'll go to Koenma right now to see what I can find out." He looked to Hiei cautiously. "Do you think you can stay put here long enough to let me get the information we need?"

"Hn," Hiei grunted, obviously annoyed. "Do I have much of a choice?"

"Good, I'll be back as soon as possible. There's a portal I can go through just behind Genkai's that I can use to get to Spirit World." Kurama immediately left the room, heading toward the portal.

"So what, now we just sit around & wait while Jenny's going through who knows what?" Keiko demanded, tears filling her eyes.

"What else can we do?" Yusuke replied, squeezing her shoulder sympathetically. "We can't go around looking for her blindly. What if Kurama comes back & we're all out looking for her in all the wrong places? That'd do more harm than good."

Hiei tuned their noise out. His mind was racing. _How could I have let this happen? I was in the woods, too. How did I miss his presence? I was too late. I didn't protect her like I'd promised…._

"Why can't we just split up? A group of us can go now & the rest can wait for Kurama." Kuwabara's comment broke his concentration.

Hiei moved his gaze to Kuwabara. He spoke quickly, his voice frantic. "How is it possible that you actually came up with a good idea? Let's split up. We can't waste anymore time!"

"Uh, thanks, shorty…." Kuwabara replied cautiously. "So who goes & who stays?"

"I'll go." Hiei responded immediately.

"No, I think you should stay, Hiei," Genkai finally spoke up. "You should wait for Kurama. He'll have the most reliable information so you'll be sure to go where Jenny actually is. But I agree, it might be good to have at least one or two of us go to begin the search. Then, once you hear from Kurama you can send us word."

Hiei thought for a moment, then nodded at Genkai. _I need to get to her as fast as possible._

"Us? Who's 'us'?" Kuwabara asked.

"Me & Yusuke, of course," Genkai said, poking her thumb towards Yusuke. "I'll go with the dimwit."

"Jeez, you're always such a grumpy old hag, even when we're in the middle of an emergency." Yusuke gave a resigned sigh. "Let's go, then!"

"Yusuke!" Keiko clutched onto his arm. He looked down at her & she gave him a small smile. "Bring Jenny back.. & you'd better be safe."

"You betcha," Yusuke winked at her, then looked over at Genkai. "Let's go, grandma."

Finally, just Hiei, Kuwabara, Yukina & Keiko were left in the house. The silence stretched on for what seemed like forever. Yukina & Keiko moved to Keiko's room eventually, saying they wanted to try to get some rest before Kurama returned.

Kuwabara sat on the floor, his back against the wall. His head slowly tipped forward & his eyes drooped. He tried his best to stay awake, but sleep seemed to be winning the battle.

Hiei, though, couldn't have been more awake. He paced the room, going back over every memory, every hint from Kai's energy that he'd felt early that night. He felt helpless & he didn't like it. As his anger & frustration grew, he knew he had to release some of it. His body felt like it was on fire. Letting loose a furious yell, he felt his fist fly through the wall, venting some of his frustration. It wasn't enough. He needed to get to her.

"Jeez, man! Scare the shit out of me, why don't ya!" Kuwabara had a hand clutched to his chest. "I was sleeping ya know!"

"Does it look like I really care?" Hiei's furious glare rested on Kuwabara.

Kuwabara eyed him suspiciously. "What's gotten into you, Hiei? I know you & Jenny were close friends & all, but we were all friends with her. I'm worried about her, too, but you need to calm down a little. There's nothing we can do yet anyw-" He stopped mid-sentence & his eyes grew wide. "You like her, don't you! I mean.. You like like her!"

Hiei stared at him. _No way in hell._ "Stupid human, of course not! She's Kurama's sister. A friend. A human. Nothing more." He clenched a fist as he took a step toward Kuwabara.

"Liar!" Kuwabara stood up, meeting Hiei's gaze. "I've never seen you act like this before. Just admit it! If something happened to Jenny you'd never forgive yourself. You're scared shitless."

"Shut up!" Hiei flew at Kuwabara, allowing his anger to take over. He grasped Kuwabara's neck in his powerful grip & flung him against the wall, holding him there. "You don't know what you're talking about." He felt his irritation growing, his anger bursting at the seams.

Kuwabara struggled against Hiei's grip on his neck unsuccessfully. "Yeah, right…" he choked out.

Hiei squeezed his neck tighter, narrowing his eyes. "Don't you dare make light of this situation." _How could he make jokes at a time like this?!_

"You guys seriously choose tonight to get into a fight?" Kurama's voice, full of irritation, cut in. Hiei & Kuwabara froze, turning to stare at him.

Hiei instantly released Kuwabara, causing him to fall roughly to the floor. "What did you find out?" he asked eagerly.

"Yusuke was right. Koenma was able to identify Kai when he appeared here at Genkai's & was then able to put a tracker on him, allowing him to follow his next steps. Let's go!" Kurama said frantically. The worry in Kurama's voice made Hiei's own panic start to rise again.

"I'm going, too!" Kuwbara stood up shakily.

"No, you need to go tell Yusuke & Genkai where Kai is so they can meet up with us. We'll need all the help we can get." Kurama shoved a slip of paper into his hand. These are instruction on how to get where we think Kai is now. Botan will be able to help you find Yusuke. She's on her way now. Wait for her & then go as fast as you can," Kurama said quickly before turning to Hiei. "Let's hurry. We don't know how much time we'll have before he moves again."

Hiei began racing toward the portal alongside Kurama. _This feeling…. This fear…. We have to make it in time. We have to._


	16. Chapter 16 - Kai

**Author's Note:** Okay, so this one isn't really longer, but I felt like it was a good place to stop. I'm on a roll with writing this week! :)

 **Chapter 16 - Kai**

Jenny woke to the feeling of a hand gently stroking her bare belly.

"I see you've been busy in the time we've been apart," a deep voice said.

Jenny's eyes snapped open as she sat up. Terror rippled through her. _Kai._ She protectively folded her arms over her stomach, thrusting his hand away from her without thinking. "Don't touch me!" she screamed as she tried to scoot back farther from him, but found that she already had her back against a wall  & had nowhere to go.

Kai wore a smirk on his thin lips. "Come now, darlin'. Don't talk like that." He had short, black hair with a clean shaven face & tan skin. He was sitting across from her, but Jenny could tell he was tall. He had a slender frame, but by no means did he look weak. She could see well defined muscles on his arms & through his clothes.

The image of Jin she'd seen in the forest flashed in her mind & her heart ached. _It wasn't really him. It had felt so real… so good to have him back._ Her heartbreak quickly turned to anger. "How could you?!" Her face twisted in rage as she glared defiantly back at him. "How could you use Jin's appearance like that?!"

Kai laid a hand on Jenny's thigh in a failed attempt at sincerity. She shivered & realized she was just wearing her bra & pajama shorts. "You're smart enough to figure that out, aren't you? I had to get you out of that house somehow & I knew that idiot would do the trick." He scowled. "Those bastards hid you away in there behind a shield. They were protecting you… From me, of all people!" His eyes held her gaze. "I own you & they thought they could keep you from me."

"What the hell do you want with me?" Jenny felt his fingers tighten on her thigh. _How long have I been here?_ Her mind raced as she tried to put the pieces together.

Kai laughed. "Well, at first all I wanted to do was hurt Kurama. But then, after I bought you..," He flicked a tongue across his lips. "Well, darlin', let's just say I have enjoyed owning you. My plan changed. I didn't want to just kill you to hurt Kurama. I couldn't have that. So I decided I'd make him pay by knowing I owned his sister. That I could have her however I wanted. That I could hurt her however I wanted. For the rest of your life. I was waiting for the right time to reveal it to him… Once I'd really had time to enjoy you." His eyes shifted to her belly. "But now… now you've gone & cheated on me. We can't have that."

Panic seized her. "Do whatever you want to me, but please…" Tears welled up in her eyes. "Please… don't hurt-"

Kai roared with laughter. "No, no… you misunderstand, darlin'! I won't hurt your baby. I plan on you having this child." Jenny eyed him suspiciously, but said nothing. "You'll have this child & I'll sell it. I can make a good profit. Or I could even decide to keep it."

"What do you mean.. Keep it?" Jenny asked in a whisper.

"Demons live a lot longer than you humans do. You'll get old a lot faster. If you have a girl, well…." He licked his lips again. "She might come in handy."

Rage surged through her. Her fingernails cut into her palms as she clenched them tight in anger. "Like hell you will!," she screamed as she dove at him, her anger overcoming her better judgement.

Pain seared through her as one of his strong hands grasped one of her wrists, bending it until she heard a pop. Her back slammed down onto the ground hard, causing her to gasp for breath. He held both of her wrists down with one hand above her head. She squeezed her eyes shut, but she could feel his massive weight pressing down on top of her.

"I said I wouldn't hurt your baby," Kai snarled angrily. "I didn't say anything about letting you off easy, darlin'. You left. You hid from me. You got yourself pregnant. You deserve everything you're going to get!" He ran his free hand up her side & slid it into her bra. He pinched her nipple roughly, causing her to yelp in pain. "I'm sure your brother is trying to find a way to get to us as we speak." He ran his tongue up her neck to her ear. "I'm eagerly awaiting that reunion. But in the meantime, we can have a little fun."

Jenny tried unsuccessfully to pull her wrists free & the jolt of pain reminded her that her wrist was probably broken. "Please… don't do this…" Tears gushed freely across her face.

"It's nothing we haven't done before, darlin'. I know you've lost your memories of it all. I thought I'd be helpful & remind you," Kai cooed. "It's been so long…" Then he grasped her face in his hand & kissed her roughly. She felt his teeth biting at her lips, his fingers squeezing into her cheeks & jaw.

The memories came flying back all at once in a painful, blinding showcase. She saw everything. She saw her adopted mother selling her off to Kai. She felt the sorrow & pain she'd felt back then, being left with him. She relived Kai attacking her, beating her, raping her for the last several years. The sorrow, agony, & loneliness washed over her. She felt it throughout her entire body & soul. She ached with despair. She screamed.

After what seemed like an eternity of reliving those memories, the feel of Kai's body pressed even closer against her brought her back to reality. She forced herself to open her eyes, despite her fear. As she'd been reliving her past, Kai had been busy removing her remaining clothes as well as his own. She lay naked underneath him. He'd let go over her wrists, assuming that she wasn't in any state to fight back. He'd been right. His hands were roaming her body as if to make sure it was all still the way he remembered it. His eyes took her in greedily.

It felt like she was watching all of this happen to someone else, but at the same time she felt all of it intensely. She couldn't make her body move the way she wanted it to. She clenched her eyes shut tight, squeezing out fresh tears, as Kai bit down on her neck. Her entire body trembled, which seemed only to encourage Kai.

 _Please…. Make it stop…_ Her mind suddenly shifted to Jin & an overwhelming feeling of shame took over her. _Jin… I'm sorry._

She felt Kai's hot breath as he whispered in her ear, "It's been a while, darlin'. I hope you're ready for this. I plan on enjoying it thoroughly."

Jenny gasped in pain as he forced himself hard into her. She cried hysterically as he moved inside her, his hips moving painfully against hers.

* * *

Hiei & Kurama rushed down the narrow passage in the cave. They'd moved as fast as they could once they'd gotten through the portal to demon world. The were navigating the intricate passageways of the cave where Koenma said Kai's energy had last been sensed. The problem was, they didn't know exactly which passageway led to Kai. They'd spent what seemed like forever searching paths that led nowhere until finally they'd been able to sense Kai's presence down one of the paths.

Eventually, they burst through an entry into a large, open cavern. What they saw stopped them in their tracks. A figure, who Hiei assumed was Kai, was on top of Jenny. He was….

 _No… No, this can't be happening!_

An intense rage took over Hiei & he flew across the room as fast as lightning toward Kai. Kurama, apparently having the same thoughts, raced along beside him. Before they could reach Jenny, the pair hit what felt like a barrier of some kind. They bounced back from the invisible barrier & ended up slamming painfully against the cave wall on the opposite side of the cavern.

Kai finally seemed to notice that someone else had entered the space. He looked over his shoulder, barely slowing his movements to acknowledge them.

"Well, it seems our guests have arrived, darlin'," Kai said in a mocking tone to Jenny. "We'd better not keep them waiting." Jenny stayed silent & motionless beneath him as he moved slowly on top of her.

As Hiei stood up & began regaining his composure, his fear began to grow. Kai had a shield around them strong enough to keep both Kurama & Hiei out even as he… as he was.. occupied… with Jenny. He saw Kurama out of the corner of his eye lifting himself up from the ground, as well. He also saw the same furious look in his eyes.

Kai had turned his gaze away from them again & seemed completely focused on Jenny now. He thrust his hips into her faster now, more insistent.

Hiei's blood boiled as he stood helpless, watching as Kai hurt her. He couldn't look away. His anger wouldn't allow him to. _I can't even help her!_ Kai suddenly gave an over the top moan of ecstasy. _He's doing this on purpose. He's putting on a show for us,_ Hiei thought angrily.

Kai abruptly slowed his thrusting & slid off of Jenny. He lay on the ground next to her catching his breath for a moment before sitting up to look at Hiei & Kurama.

"Whew… I know they say 'distance makes the heart grow fonder', but I didn't realize how true that was until now," Kai joked, still a little out of breath. "I didn't remember it being that good before."

Hiei clenched his fists as he moved closer to Kai, carefully making sure he didn't move too close & hit the barrier again. He saw Kurama's face out of the corner of his eye. He was red with rage. Jenny was still lying motionless on the ground where Kai had left her.

"How dare you touch her!" Kurama's voice was angrier than Hiei had ever heard it.

Kai laughed as he stood up. He reached over, grabbed his pants, & slid them on in no apparent hurry. "Me?! This isn't my fault, Kurama. You should know that." He turned an icy glare toward Kurama. "This is your doing."


	17. Chapter 17 - Consequences of Fighting

Author's Note: So I really want to get a cover picture up for this story, but I'm not really good enough with art to design one. Anyone willing to design a cover for me? I'd give you credit! :) And I'd love you forever! 3 Also, I've had some people mention that Jenny losing her memories is a cliche & I totally get that, but I also hope my readers get that this story is about way more than that. :)

* * *

 **Chapter 17 - The Consequences of Fighting Back**

Jenny lay on her back, naked & unmoving, with her head turned to the side. Her eyes were clenched tightly shut. She'd stayed that way as Kai had had his way with her. She didn't want to look at him. She already saw his face too many times as the memories flooded through her mind. She felt a dull pain between her legs where Kai had bruised her. Her neck & breasts were tender with scratches & bite marks. She'd felt his weight lift off of her, but she didn't move or open her eyes. She felt tears sliding across her cheeks. She'd heard other voices…. Who? She couldn't get her mind to focus, but she was too scared to open her eyes. She didn't want to see Kai… or herself.

"You will move away from her this instant!"

"What is it you want? She did nothing to you."

 _Hiei…? Kurama…?_ Panic washed through her all over again. _No… They can't be here. They can't see me… like this._ She hadn't opened her eyes, but she knew how she must look, lying there naked  & used. She felt a new rush of tears come to her eyes & felt her face flush with embarrassment.

"I'll do nothing of the sort. She's mine. I bought her," Kai's voice echoed confidently. "And while she's caused me no end of trouble in the last several months due to her escape & disappearance, I've managed to keep tabs on her. I watched her get herself into some little fling with that red-haired demon friend of yours, which enraged me to no end. But sadly, I had to wait it out. I had a plan to stick to. I tried to put an end to it by controlling him, but as you know that failed. I got my revenge on him eventually, though. I couldn't let him continue to think he could have what's mine." Kai gave a loud, exasperated sigh. "But of course I'm still having to deal with that fall out. He went & got her pregnant."

Jenny felt a flood of emotions run through her at the mention of Jin. _That's right…. Kai's the reason Jin tried to hurt me… he's the reason Jin's… he's the one that killed…_ A sudden burst of rage exploded inside her. _He killed Jin._ Her eyes flew open  & she moved to raise herself up with her good arm. Her legs were weak & wobbly, but the sudden rush of adrenaline was helping give her the strength she needed. She was soon standing shakily. She kept her eyes fixed firmly on Kai.

 _I can't look at the others… I don't want to see the looks I know they're giving me right now. I can't stand it._

"How dare you talk about him like that?!" She was glad her voice sounded stronger than she'd expected. "You aren't half the man Jin was." She took a step toward Kai, who'd now turned back to face her. His arms were folded across his chest as he watched her with amusement.

"Oh, really…? I beg to differ. I've given you pleasure that I know Jin couldn't possibly have given you. The screams of ecstasy you made are all the proof I need."

"Shut the hell up!" She rushed towards Kai with a speed that surprised her.

"Jenny, don't!" Kurama's voice rang out, but it was too late.

Jenny's good fist flew out at Kai & she was joyous when she felt it connect with his face. Pain shot through her arm, but she didn't care. It felt good. In the same instant, she felt fingers grasp her throat, squeezing hard. She gasped for breath as she felt her feet leave the ground & the weight of her body was held up entirely by the hand around her neck.

She moved her eyes to look into Kai's face. His cheek was bruised, but nothing more. His eyes shone with excitement.

"Well, I knew you'd been training, but I didn't realize this adventure away from home would make you so fiesty," He grinned at her, showing his fangs. "That just excites me more. It's really a shame, though, that all your training did you no good against me. All that work for nothing. Such a pity."

In a rush he moved her so her face was in front of his & he kissed her. She felt his lips pressing painfully hard against her mouth, his fangs biting her. She could hear Hiei & Kurama yelling something, but she couldn't tell what they were saying. Her mind was a blur. She struggled to get free from him, but her strength was beginning to fade.

Something Kurama had said made Kai break the kiss. He released Jenny's throat, causing her to fall to the ground at his feet. Instinctively she moved to break her fall by putting her hands out in front of her. Pain shot through her broken wrist as her weight landed on it, causing her to scream out in pain. She rolled over to sit upright, holding her injured wrist.

"Sorry, I was a little preoccupied. What was that?" Kai asked as he turned his attention to Kurama.

"I said, what is it that you want? I know you purposely bought Jenny because you knew she was my sister. There has to be a reason for that. Tell me." Kurama's voice sounded calm & controlled.

Jenny forced herself to look over to Hiei & Kurama for the first time. Hiei had his katana out & ready. His chest heaved angrily as he kept his angry glare locked on Kai. He looked absolutely terrifying. Kurama was standing a few feet away from Hiei. He looked just as terrifying as Hiei, but in a different way. His eyes shone with a ferocity she hadn't seen before, but he appeared outwardly calm.

As she took in the scene in front of her, she saw Hiei's eyes shift toward her. Her breath caught in her throat as their eyes locked for an instant. She saw pity, fear, anger, & a myriad of other emotions in his eyes. Her face flushed again as she looked away, breaking the hold his eyes had on her. _I don't want them seeing me like this…_

Kai stayed silent for a few moments, contemplating his words carefully. "You're right, Kurama. The reason why I bought Jenny was because she's your sister. You really surprised me when you placed yourself in that frail human body, but it ended up giving me just what I needed to get my revenge."

"Revenge for what?" Hiei had stayed silent for a time, but now spoke up. His voice held a familiar annoyance, an eagerness to get to the point.

Kai glanced at Hiei, but then shifted his eyes back to Kurama. "The fact that you don't even remember is infuriating." Jenny saw raw anger on Kai's face. "I hope you at least remember that you used to go around stealing things that didn't belong to you before you inserted yourself into that weak body. You came to my stronghold one of those times searching for some sort of artifact. Which, by the way, I didn't even have." His clenched fists tightened as he continued. "I wasn't there at the time. My sister… my beloved sister, Aiko… was in charge in my absence. She was the most important person in the world to me. And as you infiltrated our home, you killed her." Kai was yelling the words angrily now. "You killed her violently without a second thought. And for what?!" He threw his arms up as he spoke. "Nothing! Absolutely nothing!"

Kurama's face stayed blank, but Jenny saw the slightest flicker of recognition in his eyes. "So it's an 'eye for an eye', is it? I killed your sister, so you kill mine? Why haven't you done it already, then?"

Kai laughed, shifting back to his normal demeanor. "Kill her? No.. that'd be too simple. I can't let you off that easy." He turned & kneeled next to Jenny, taking her chin gently but firmly in his hand. "I bought her years ago with every intention of killing her soon after the purchase, but I changed my mind when I became… attached… to her. It pleased me to take her & use her whenever I wanted. Knowing that she's your sister & that I had complete control of her was better than a simple kill." He smiled at her wickedly. "I waited years with her, enjoying her. When I decided to reveal that she was with me, that you even had a sister, I wanted you to know that I'd had her all that time. That I used her & hurt her. And I wanted you to feel that pain & know that it was all your fault."

Jenny shuddered at the look in Kai's eyes. It was full of longing. She tried to move farther away from him, but he grabbed her injured wrist to stop her. She flinched & yelped in pain.

 _Why am I so weak…?_

Kurama's jaw tensed & he took a step closer. "So what now? Now that you've revealed all this, what are you going to do?" Jenny watched Kurama's face as he spoke & knew that he was holding back a flurry of emotions, trying to keep a level head.

"I plan on taking Jenny home, of course," Kai replied casually. "I've done what I needed to do. You know what I've done to her & now you'll have the knowledge that for the rest of her life she'll be with me, pleasing me." He shrugged. "Although who knows.. Maybe someday I'll get bored with her & I'll go back to my original plan. You'll have to live with never knowing if she's alive & pleasing me or if she's dead." He gave Jenny a wicked grin. "But for now…." She shivered as he ran a hand up her waist before resting his palm on one of her breasts. He squeezed her nipple hard between two fingers causing her to cry out in pain.

 _Why…? Why does he keep doing this? And in front of them… I can't bear this…_ She tried to force her mind to Jin, to keep her mind off of what was happening. She wanted to be anywhere but right there. But Kai's roaming hands  & the painful sensations they were causing kept her from removing herself from reality. She felt his mouth on her neck, biting her.

"You will get your hands off her this instant! I won't allow you to continue a second longer!" Hiei's angry voice cut through her thoughts.

She forced herself to open her eyes & saw Kurama frantically trying to find a way to get through the shield around Jenny & Kai. Hiei, on the other hand, stood mere inches away from the edge of the barrier. He was surrounded by a black, glowing aura that was absolutely terrifying. His katana in hand, he stood motionless other than the movement of his heaving chest. His eyes were filled with intense hatred as he glared at Kai.

Kai lifted his mouth from her neck, a stream of blood dripping from his lip that he casually wiped away with the back of a hand. "And how do you plan on putting a stop to this?" Kai looked over at Hiei & his face took on a look of mild surprise & amusement. "I see…" he mused. "You're jealous. You can't stand that it's me doing this to her & not you. That you aren't able to enjoy her & please her like this. That's too bad…"

"You sick bastard-" Hiei growled back at him.

Jenny glanced quickly over to Kai, whose full attention was now on Hiei. _He's not paying attention. Maybe I can…_ She was scared to move, to try anything, but she knew if she didn't try now she might not get another chance.

Jenny swiftly moved her good arm between his legs, grasping his privates through the pants he still wore. She squeezed as hard as she could, twisting trying to cause more pain. She was disgusted to feel that he was hard in her palm, but her attack had the desired effect. Kai howled in pain for a few moments as she twisted with all the strength she still had. From the corner of her eye she thought she saw a proud smirk flicker across Hiei's face.

She felt a hand on her stomach suddenly & she froze as a chill ran through her.

"I don't think I have to tell you to remove your hand now, do I?" Kai's eyes showed his pain, but he wore a calm, deliberate smile as he looked at her. He slid his hand across her belly tenderly, but it held an obvious threat. "We wouldn't want anything to happen to this little one, would we?"

Terror & panic raced through her. She felt her fingers release him & move protectively to her child.

 _Dammit…._

"Now, darlin'.. What made you think you could do something like that?" Kai slid a hand up her calf, stopping at her knee. "You should know better." He gripped her knee cap in his palm. A look of rage spread across his face. He suddenly squeezed her knee cap in his palm, instantly crushing it.

Jenny screamed as the intense pain of bones cracking & breaking shocked through her. She couldn't think of anything but the pain & terror she felt. She could feel Kai crawling on top of her again. She felt him enter her, felt his nails digging into her breast. Her vision was beginning to blur due to the pain. Before she knew it she was in & out of consciousness.

Suddenly the room felt different. She could see flashes of light during her bouts of consciousness. She realized she no longer felt the pressure of Kai on top of her. She could see dark outlines racing & felt rushes of air moving around her. She struggled to stay conscious, to make sense of what was happening. She was losing the battle to keep her eyes open & her mind on processing the events around her. The pain in her knee was excruciating & she soon slipped into darkness.

* * *

Jenny woke to the sensation of hands touching her legs & shoulders. Terror raced through her & she tried to fight them off. She attempted to move her legs, to kick, but the pain in her left leg made her dizzy & nauseous. She cried out in pain, tears streaming down her face.

"Please… please don't…." Her voice was a hoarse whisper. The thought of Kai touching her terrified her. _This can't be happening._

She felt a set of hands on her again, one on her arm & the other pressed tenderly to her hair. "Jenny, it's okay… We've got you now."

 _Kurama…?_

She slowly opened her eyes & saw Kurama kneeling next to her, his hand petting her hair gently. His face held a mixed expression of worry & relief. Hiei kneeled on her other side with an unreadable look on his face. He looked exhausted. She felt something covering her & saw that it was Hiei's jacket. Suddenly she felt very vulnerable & she moved to try to cover herself more. That small movement caused pain to ripple through her body & she cried out again.

"Lay still," Kurama said gently, his voice shaking slightly. "You're injured pretty badly."

"W-what happened? Where's… Kai?" Her voice shook, too, fearing the answer.

"You won't have to worry about him anymore," Hiei stated, his voice betraying the anger he still felt. "We took care of him."

"But… the barrier…" She felt weak, like she was going to pass out again, but she needed to know.

"First we need to get you back to Genkai's & get you healed," Kurama said in a calming voice. "We'll explain everything later, when you're in a better state to hear it."

"But-"

"I'm going to pick you up & carry you back to the portal," Hiei said, the slightest hint of worry in his voice. "It's not going to be pleasant. You'll be in quite a bit of pain."

Without waiting for a response, Hiei carefully slid his one arm under Jenny's arms & back, & the other he placed cautiously under her legs. He lifted her slowly. The moment her weight went fully into his arms, she screamed out in pain. She felt her eyes well up with tears & her vision blurring again.

"I'm sorry," Hiei whispered to her as she passed out.


	18. Chapter 18 - Healing

**Chapter 18 - Healing**

She felt his warm, panting breath on her face. She felt him thrusting into her painfully, her already badly bruised thighs aching. His nails dug into her breasts, drawing blood.

 _It hurts…_

She heard herself screaming for him to stop, but it was no use. It was like he couldn't hear her. She begged him, tears streaming down her face. His hand moved to her belly. He punched her hard, causing her to cry out.

"No!" Jenny jolted awake, her face wet with sweat & tears. She gasped for air as she tried to catch her breath. Her body ached something fierce & she felt groggy.

"Jenny!"

The voice startled her, causing her to jump. That was a mistake. She grimaced as pain shot through her leg. She felt a hand on her shoulder. She slowly opened her eyes, scared of who she might see.

"...Hiei…?" Her voice was weak & shaky. Hiei was standing next to the bed looking down at her, concerned but excited. He looked exhausted, but more relieved than she'd ever seen him look. Jenny saw a chair knocked over on the floor behind him. _He must've been waiting in here… Why?_

"You're awake," he said quietly. "You've been asleep for a few days now. Are you okay? You seemed like you were in pain."

 _A dream… it must've just been a dream…._

"A dream… Where…? How…? What happened….?" Her mind was fuzzy & she was having a difficult time piecing together everything that had happened.

 _The last thing I remember…._ She shuddered as she remembered everything that happened with Kai. _No wonder I had that dream._ She remembered Kurama & Hiei telling her that Kai was gone, but nothing else after that.

Hiei seemed to regain his normal composure. He picked the chair back up, pulling it up next to the bed to sit down. "After we took care of Kai, we carried you back to the portal & got you back to Genkai's as fast as we could. You were in pretty rough shape…"

She tried sitting up, but decided it wasn't worth the pain & effort it was taking. She cringed as pain shot through her wrist as she moved.

"Sit still." Hiei's voice turned serious & anger flashed across his face. "Kai really did a number on you."

 _That's right… he saw…_ She instantly felt very vulnerable  & uncomfortable again. The memories of everything Kai did to her ran through her mind. The things he did to her.. The touching, the rape, her wrist, her knee…. Suddenly a thought came to her & she was terrified all over again. The images from her dream became all too real.

"Hiei… The baby!" Tears welled up in her eyes as her heart raced. "Please, tell me…."

Another voice responded from the doorway. "Your baby is just fine." Jenny looked toward the door & saw Kurama, a small smile on his face. "Yukina checked you out when we brought you back here & she said the baby is doing fine."

Relief washed over her. _Jin… our baby made it. I couldn't have taken it if something had happened to the baby._

"You, on the other hand, have some healing to do. Yukina was able to partially heal some of your injuries, but you had quite a few. Some of them were quite substantial." Kurama moved to the side of the bed & put a hand on her arm. "I'm so relieved that you're okay, though." His voice betrayed the emotions he was feeling. "I'm so sorry we didn't get there sooner…" He looked away toward the window. "If we'd found you sooner…"

Jenny turned her head away toward the wall next to the bed, embarrassed. "It's not your fault… If I hadn't been so stupid…" She thought back to the vision of Jin she'd seen in the woods. It had felt so real. Her heart ached when she thought about seeing him, even though it hadn't really been Jin. "Kai.. he showed up disguised as Jin… It had seemed so real. I thought…." A sob escaped her lips. "I thought, somehow, that he'd come back. I was so stupid. I just wanted to believe it so badly… It's my own fault."

"Don't ever say that," Kurama said softly but firmly. He knelt beside her, squeezing her hand gently. "He tricked you. You were still grieving. He knew exactly how to manipulate you. It wasn't your fault."

Jenny shook her head, closing her eyes. "No, it was. You guys had been so careful. You protected me & then I went out & did something that stupid."

"You're right," Hiei spoke up. "You should've known that it wasn't Jin... But that doesn't mean what Kai did to you was your fault. He was a psychopath who wanted to control & use you. As Kurama said, he knew how to manipulate you." His voice took on a different, unidentifiable tone now. "I was out in the woods that night. I should've been there sooner. He shouldn't have even had time to take you. We were supposed to protect you…"

"How…" She was beginning to feel even more weak & drowsy. "How did you stop Kai?"

Kurama glanced over at Hiei. Hiei avoided his gaze. "Hiei was very… angry… & his energy somehow overcame the barrier Kai had around the two of you. It was rather sudden. His energy just exploded off of him. Hiei burst through the barrier with almost no problem after that. After that we were both able to fight Kai with no issues. It seemed that most of his power was in that barrier. He wasn't too difficult for us to defeat once we got past that."

"I remember everything else now, too… My past..." she said quietly. "Everything he did to me. I remember all of it. All of my past… It came back to me while he was…" She couldn't continue the thought. She didn't want to think about it. All she wanted to do was sleep, but she was scared she'd dream again. She wanted to be alone. She didn't want to think.

 _They saw me… They saw what he was doing to me._ She couldn't bear that thought. She knew there was nothing she could've done about it, but still.. It made her feel vulnerable & embarrassed. She squeezed her eyes shut tighter.

"Jenny, I'm so sorry…." Kurama said quietly. "I can't imagine how you must be feeling right now."

"No… you can't," Jenny whispered. "Can you… leave me alone for a while..?"

"I really don't think you should be left alone-," Hiei began.

"We should let her rest," Kurama interrupted.

"But she's-" Hiei started to protest, but the look on Kurama's face quieted him. He turned to face Jenny. "One of us will be just outside if you need something. You're still badly injured."

Jenny was surprised to hear that he seemed genuinely worried. _That's not like him,_ she thought.

"I just… don't want to be around anyone right now. Especially you two… not after… everything…" She couldn't look at either of them. Her body ached terribly. She just wanted it to go away. She wanted them to leave her alone so she could forget.

Kurama sighed. "I understand. Just know that we're here. We'll leave you to rest." He moved toward the door & Hiei slowly followed.

She heard the door shut & almost immediately she could just barely hear Hiei arguing with Kurama.

"She shouldn't be left alone right now, not after all of that! Someone needs to keep an eye on her." His quiet voice sounded angry.

"You don't get it…." Kurama whispered gently. "She was just attacked, raped, injured, & hurt in ways that we can't understand. It wasn't just a physical attack. It's deeper than that. Yukina might've been able to heal some of her physical wounds, but the emotional wounds she's been dealt will take quite some time to heal."

"That's why someone should be in there. Humans get all emotional & who knows what she'll do!"

"It can't be us…"

"And why the hell not?" Hiei demanded.

"She knows we saw everything. Everything that Kai did to her, she knows we were there for it. She's embarrassed. She hates that we saw it. I could see it in her eyes."

Hiei didn't say anything for a long while.

"Hn." There was a muffled scuffling sound on the ground outside the door. "I'll stay here, so someone's close. I still think she shouldn't be left alone."

"As you wish, Hiei. I'll go tell the others that she's awake & that they can see her sometime tomorrow after she's had some time to rest up."

Jenny heard footsteps moving away from the room & it was silent in the hallway now.

She let herself cry freely now. She felt an immense sense of relief that Hiei & Kurama listened to her & left her alone, but she also felt incredibly grateful at the same time that they were both there for her. Deep down she knew she had no reason to feel embarrassed, but she did. She couldn't help it.

She placed her hands on her belly, holding onto her baby, rubbing gently. Her wrist hurt, but she didn't care right now. _I'm so grateful that our baby's alright, Jin…_ She felt miserable & depressed, but she also felt a sense of relief. _Kai's gone. I'm free._

So many different emotions were running through her as she thought back to her life with Kai all those years, the pain & loneliness she'd felt. She'd never have to deal with him again. But she also knew that she was going to have a hard time forgetting about it. Putting it all behind her was going to be easier said than done.

For now, though, she needed to focus on getting better. For herself & for the baby.

* * *

Two weeks flew by. Jenny slept most of the time, healing & regaining her strength. She only recalled bits & pieces of those weeks. She remembered Yusuke, Genkai, Yukina & some of the others coming by to check on her occasionally. They seemed ecstatic that she was alive & back, but she also saw the looks of pity on their faces when they came in. She hated it. She'd smiled, though, when Keiko had placed her hand on her stomach & commented on how the baby was growing. Her one bright spot in all the darkness. Kurama often came into check on her & they spoke for short times, which cheered her up somewhat.

Jenny noticed, though, that Hiei was always in the room anytime anyone came in. He stood quietly in the room, not saying anything. He just watched her, as if he was afraid to speak. On a few occasions, Jenny had even woken up to see him sitting in the chair in her room, watching her as she slept. Every time, he'd quickly stand up & move to leave, saying he'd just come in to check to see if she needed anything. It made her feel uneasy, but it was also comforting to know he was checking on her. It felt good to have her best friend close by.

She still often had dreams about Kai. She'd wake up covered in sweat, crying. She was starting to feel stronger now, though. Yukina's healing powers were speeding up the healing process nicely. Her wrist didn't bother her anymore & her knee was getting much better. The painful bruising around her hips & breasts had healed, too. Mostly she felt tired, but she supposed it had more to do with her emotions rather than anything physical.

That morning she'd woken up to see Hiei slumped over asleep in the chair next to her bed. The sight made her laugh for the first time in what seemed like forever. The sound of her laughter startled Hiei & woke him.

"Do you need anything?" He mumbled sleepily.

Jenny sat up slowly on the bed, careful of her knee. "You don't have to do that, you know."

"Do what?"

"Act like you weren't in here keeping an eye on me."

Hiei looked at her from the corner of his eye. "I assumed you wouldn't want me in here, still."

Jenny turned slightly red. "I felt… uncomfortable… about the fact that you'd been there when Kai was… I couldn't handle it." She looked over at him cautiously. "I needed a little space. I know you were just trying to help. I appreciate you keeping an eye on me. It means a lot."

"Hn." Hiei looked away from her. "Don't mention it."

Jenny gave him a small smile. "It'd be nice to have my friend back. It feels like we haven't had one of our 'talks' in a while. Maybe it'll help me feel normal again."

Hiei watched her for a moment before speaking. "It has been rather quiet here with you being stuck in bed. It'll be nice to get back to normal." He smirked at her. "I suppose I won't be sparring with you for quite a while, with how big your little parasite is getting now."

Jenny laughed. "True…" She suddenly felt claustrophobic being stuck in bed. She slid her legs to the edge of the bed & scooted down.

"What are you doing?" Hiei straightened. "You shouldn't be getting out of bed yet, idiot."

"Watch me," Jenny replied. "I'm sick of laying here. I need to get out & move a bit." She carefully set her feet on the cold floor & braced her arms on the side of the bed. She stood slowly, smiling as she straightened. "See? I'm fine."

She tried to take a step, but her legs gave out underneath her. She cried out as she fell to the ground. She felt arms wrap around her, stopping her from hitting the floor. She looked up into Hiei's face, inches from hers, which held a look of concern. She was sitting in his lap, his arms tightly grasping her after stopping her fall.

Instinctively she pushed away from him, a vision of Kai intruding on her thoughts. She could feel Kai's hands on her, his breath inches away from hers, even though she knew it was Hiei next to her. Her heart pounded as she panicked, her eyes wide with fear. She slid across the floor away from Hiei, whose face now showed confusion.

"I'm sorry.. Hiei…." she gasped, trying to slow her breathing. "I just… when you touched me... I felt Kai. My memories of everything he did just… took over."

Hiei looked stunned for a moment, then he stiffened. "I see. I'm sorry…" He stood up & reached a hand out to her. "Let me help you back into the bed & then I'll leave you be."

Slowly she took his hand & he helped her gently into the bed. "Hiei.. I'm sorry. I know you were just trying to help."

"I'll be outside if you need anything." And he left without another word.


	19. Chapter 19 - Without You

Author's Note: I've been listening to the Rent soundtrack again lately & the song "Without You" really hit home. I feel like the lyrics represent how Jenny felt when she lost Jin. Life goes on, but that feeling of loss is always there. Part of her died with him. Sappy, I know… but still. I felt that it was a fitting title for this chapter.

 **Chapter 19 - Without You**

 _I wonder why he hasn't visited…_ Jenny wondered to herself as she lay in bed staring up at the ceiling. Hiei hadn't returned to her room since that day she'd fell, which had been a little over a week ago.

 _It's not like I could help it._ She knew she had no reason to flinch away from Hiei, but after everything that had happened…. _He has to understand it wasn't because of him. It's Kai…._

Jenny let out a frustrated sigh & rolled over on her side to face the wall. She let a leg slip out of the blanket. _It's just a little too warm in this room._ _But at least I'm healing faster now…_ It was true, too. She'd been sleeping a lot  & felt much stronger. She knew she'd be up & moving in the next week or so, which she was incredibly thankful for. She was getting insanely bored being cooped up in her room.

 _This room…._ She let her hand smooth the fabric on the pillow next to her. _Jin…_ She closed her eyes  & imagined that he was laying there beside her on that pillow. She missed him so much it hurt. It had been almost three months since he'd died & while she knew she needed to keep living her life for their baby, she was having a difficult time figuring out how to do that. She held a hand to her belly, which had grown quite large in the last month.

On top of everything, she felt guilty. She felt guilty about wanting to move on, but mostly she felt guilty about Kai. _I let him get to me. I was weak & he took me back. He used me & raped me while I had our baby between us. _It made her feel like she'd betrayed Jin. When she closed her eyes she could still feel Kai's invasive touch on her skin. She could see Jin's chest falling for the last time as his life left him… because of Kai. Because of her. The memories were seared into her. She wanted nothing more than to forget. _It's all my fault…_

 _Jin…. How do I do this without you? I know I need to, but how?_ She felt a tear slide down her cheek onto her own pillow. _I just want you lying here with your arms wrapped around me & your hand resting on our baby. You never even got to feel our baby..._

She cried quietly until she started feeling tired again. She felt herself slipping off into sleep when she heard a noise at the door. She was just about to roll over to see what it was when she heard voices. She froze, staying curled up with her eyes closed facing the wall. She heard a hand on the door knob.

"Hiei, what's-"

"Shhh, idiot…"

 _Yusuke? Hiei?_ She stayed silent where she was, interested & hoping to catch more of their conversation.

"Why?" Yusuke asked in a whisper.

"Hn… I don't want her to know I'm in there."

"That's not creepy at all," Yusuke retorted. "Why not?"

"I don't want her to feel uncomfortable," Hiei responded in an unusually quiet voice.

"You talking about what happened when she fell?" When Hiei didn't respond, Yusuke continued. "Kurama told me about it. Do you really think she doesn't want you to visit her because of that? She's been through hell with this whole Kai situation, don't you think it makes sense she'd freak out a bit when someone touches her? That doesn't mean she doesn't want you around. She needs all of us right now."

"I can watch out for her without her needing to know about it. She doesn't need to know I'm in there."

Yusuke was silent for a while before speaking again. "Hiei…." His voice sounded a little nervous now, like he was searching for the right words. "You... like her, don't you…"

Jenny held her breath as she waited to hear what he'd say in response. Her heart raced wildly.

Hiei didn't respond, but gave an annoyed, "Hn."

"Look, man… I know she's in a rough spot right now, but I also know you've been there for her through all the crazy shit that happened the last several months. Really, since she's shown up," Yusuke spoke quietly to Hiei, but his voice was strong. "You should tell her how you feel. Maybe not right now, but... Give her some time to heal. You have to tell her. You owe it to yourself… & to her. Life is short. You never know how much time we actually have. We've learned that the hard way with everyone we've lost."

Jenny heard Hiei's hand release the door knob. "You don't know what you're talking about, Yusuke." She heard him take a few steps away from the room. "You should mind your own business."

"Whatever….."

Her heart pounded hard in her chest as she heard them both leave. _Does Hiei have feelings for me?_ The thought was as unbelievable as it was confusing. _He didn't actually say he did, but he didn't say he didn't, either. Ugh…_ Part of her felt extremely uncomfortable with that fact. _How am I supposed to act around him now? Not that I have to worry about it if he never actually visits when I'm awake anymore…_

Jenny's mind raced as she tried to think back through all the time she'd spent with Hiei. He'd seemed pretty normal to her. Nothing that would make her think that-

Then the memory of their training the day Kai had taken her crossed her mind. She remembered how he'd pinned her down. He'd told her she wasn't alone. She felt her face turn slightly red as she remembered his breath on her lips, the look in his eyes, the feel of him pressed on top of her. _Maybe…._

Her mind shifted back to Jin & she shook her head. _What am I thinking….? What would he think of this?_

Jenny jumped a mile when she heard a knock on the door that startled her out of her thoughts. The door creaked open & she heard Kurama's quiet voice.

"Jenny? Are you awake?"

"Y-yes!" She said nervously. She moved to sit up on the bed as he entered the room.

"I brought you something to eat," Kurama said, smiling.

A grin spread across Jenny's face as she saw what was on the plate. "Pizza?!"

Kurama laughed. "Genkai decided to order in tonight." He handed the plate to her.

She savored the first bite of pizza, closing her eyes in exaggerated pleasure. "Mmmm….!"

Kurama laughed again & sat in the chair next to the bed. "I'll let Genkai know you approve of her choice."

"Very much!"

"How are you feeling?" Kurama asked.

"Honestly, I feel pretty good. I think I'll be ready to get out of this room really soon!"

"I know you're healing up just fine physically," Kurama replied. "I meant how are you feeling? You know, about everything that happened. Do you want to talk about it?"

She stopped eating, surprised by his question. "I don't know…"

Kurama sighed & watched her cautiously. "I get it, Jenny. What happened to you probably isn't something you feel comfortable talking about with your brother… or anyone really. But I am here for you. You can talk to me. It might help."

She sat in silence, taking a bite of pizza to stall before speaking. "I'm not quite ready to talk about… about what happened with Kai really yet," Jenny said quietly. "But to answer your other question about how I'm feeling…. I guess the best way to describe it is that I feel guilty. I've felt really guilty about… everything."

"Guilty?" This seemed to catch Kurama completely off guard. "What could you possibly feel guilty about?"

Jenny leaned her head back against the headboard. "Everything. You guys have all stopped your lives to help me. Jin tried to help me & because of that….." Her voice broke. "Because of that he's gone. He died because of me. I was weak & let Kai take me back. He raped me & I'm pregnant with Jin's child. How am I going to be able to tell my child about all this someday? 'Your father died because of me & then the guy that killed him raped me while you were still inside me.' What kind of crap is that? I've made a mess of everything…"

It had all rushed out at once. She hadn't meant to say all that to him, but there it was.

"I miss him so much, Kurama," she whispered. "But the thing I feel the most guilty about is the fact that I want to move on… I want to feel better. I want to be better for this baby. But I feel like I'm betraying Jin when I start thinking about it."

Kurama moved to sit next to her on the bed & wrapped an arm around her shoulder comfortingly. She let her head fall onto his shoulder.

"It's okay to feel that way, Jenny. You've been through a lot. And as for wanting to move on, I think that's pretty normal, too. But what happened to Jin, & to you, wasn't your fault. Don't place blame where it doesn't belong. That's all on Kai," He squeezed her shoulder. "You have every right to want to move on & live your life. Don't you think that's what Jin would've wanted?"

She suddenly remembered the similar conversation she'd had with Hiei, before Kai had taken her. He'd told her basically the same thing, but it felt reassuring to hear it again from Kurama.

Jenny sighed. "My life is such a mess…"

Kurama gave a small chuckle. "Well, it's definitely a little complicated, that's for sure."

"Can I ask _you_ something now?" She wasn't sure if she wanted to know his answer, but she had to ask anyway.

"Sure."

She briefly explained the conversation she'd overheard between Yusuke & Hiei, along with the encounter with Hiei the day Kai had taken her. When she'd finished her story, Kurama sat in silence for several long moments. His eyes focused on the window across the room, but she could see his mind working through what she'd said.

"Hiei's a complicated person," Kurama finally replied.

"I just don't know how to act around him. He's my best friend," Jenny said timidly. "Do you think he actually really likes me or is Yusuke just overreacting?"

"To be honest…." Kurama responded slowly. "I've wondered if he's had feelings for you for a while now."

Jenny's breath caught in her throat. Her heart pounded just as fast as it had when she'd heard Yusuke say it.

"I've known Hiei a lot longer than you. He's been acting… strange… lately. He doesn't really take to humans.. or anyone, to be honest… like he's taken to you. He's protective of you & when Kai took you…" Kurama trailed off, searching for the right words. "When Kai took you Hiei was frantic. I'd never seen him like that before. He wouldn't admit it, but he was terrified. It was obvious. And when he saw Kai…" His voice trailed off for a moment. "When Hiei saw what Kai was doing to you in the cave…. The energy coming off of him was something I'd never seen from him before. I'd never seen him that angry."

"Why didn't you say anything to me?" Jenny asked, a little hurt that Kurama hadn't mentioned it sooner.

"I didn't really feel like it was my place, or the right time, especially after what you just went through with Kai.. and with losing Jin. It didn't seem important compared to everything else." Kurama turned to look at her. "It's not like it matters too much anyway, right? Hiei's your friend. Nothing has to change."

"I know Hiei might like me as more than friends, though," Jenny said. "That kind of makes things a little awkward."

"It doesn't have to be," Kurama replied.

"Easy for you to say…" Jenny muttered. Kurama laughed & rustled her hair playfully. She glared up at him through the tangled mess of hair.

"Just take it day by day. Don't push yourself too far & don't be too hard on yourself. Take care of yourself & this niece or nephew of mine. You will get through this. Jin wouldn't want you to feel guilty. None of it was your fault. Jin would want you to be happy, no matter what." Kurama smiled at her as he stood up. "Now get some rest. By this time next week I expect you to be eating dinner in the kitchen with all of us." He winked at her as he moved to leave.

"Thanks, Kurama…" Jenny smiled back at him as he closed the door behind him. She laid back down on the bed, rolling to face the wall again.

 _I need to get some sleep…._

She closed her eyes, but her troubled thoughts kept her from achieving sleep for quite a while.


	20. Chapter 20 - The Future

Author's Note: I haven't had any reviews for a while. :( I am getting a lot of views, though, which makes me happy! I'd love to hear what you all think about the story or even predictions about what you think is going to happen. :)

 **Chapter 20 - The Future**

Jenny stretched her arms above her head lazily as she let her feet move to the floor. She took hold of the crutches leaning on the wall next to the bed & slowly stood, carefully shifting her weight.

 _One step at a time…._

She moved cautiously with the crutches across the room toward the door. She was sick of being stuck in this room with nothing but her own thoughts. She was ready to get out of bed & had been adamant with Yukina about it. Yukina had reluctantly agreed to have Kurama pick up some crutches to make it easier for her to walk. Jenny had been ecstatic when they'd arrived the night before. She'd been stranded in her bedroom, with the exception of bathroom breaks aided by Yukina, for what seemed like forever. She'd spent a good deal of time that night practicing walking across the room with the crutches. So much so, in fact, that she'd quickly worn herself out & ended up falling asleep before getting a chance to leave the room.

But now it was morning & she was bound & determined to go to the kitchen & eat breakfast with everyone else. She slid her door open, careful not to lose her balance or one of the crutches, & began moving slowly toward the kitchen. She could already smell the delicious aromas coming from down the hall & heard voices. A grin spread across her face. She felt freer than she had in a long time. She'd even changed into a somewhat nicer (& cleaner) looking pair of black shorts & a light pink tank to celebrate the occasion.

 _Finally…._

She turned the corner to enter the kitchen & was greeted by a very surprised Yusuke, who almost knocked her over as he moved to leave the room.

"Woah-!" Yusuke grasped her shoulders firmly to steady her. His expression changed from shock to relief in a matter of seconds. "Jenny! You're up!" His hands stayed on her shoulders as she watched her. His eyes took in her crutches & he grinned widely.

"Don't just stand there, dim wit," Genkai interrupted from across the room at the table. "Let her come in & sit down."

"Alright, jeez..." Yusuke responded as he rolled his eyes before turning his attention back to Jenny. "Need any help?"

"I'm good," Jenny said, smiling as she nodded towards a crutch. "I practiced some with these last night, but I need to get more comfortable with them."

After Yusuke moved out of the way, Jenny made her way to the table. Genkai slid out the chair next to her so she could sit. Jenny flopped down into the chair, her large belly making her feel even more awkward, & leaned the crutches against the wall. She looked around the room & saw that only Yusuke, Genkai, & Yukina were here.

"Where are Kurama & Hiei? Or Keiko? Or Kuwabara?" Jenny asked after gladly accepting a cup of coffee from Yukina.

"Keiko & Kuwabara are back in the city. They had to get back to their jobs," Yusuke replied. "I'm not sure where the other two are, but I'm sure they'll be in soon if they want to get anything to eat this morning."

"I'm just finishing up the cooking," Yukina announced as she gave Jenny a small smile.

Just as she was about to respond, Jenny heard footsteps coming down the hallway. She had known it was probably Hiei & Kurama, but her heart still leapt into her throat when she saw him. It was the first time she'd seen Hiei face-to-face since she'd heard him not-deny that he liked her. Kurama seemed relieved & glad to see her, but she saw a flash of surprise on Hiei's face that quickly disappeared into an unreadable look. She felt awkward & was even more embarrassed to feel her cheeks flush a shade of pink. She made sure her eyes stayed on Kurama so she wouldn't have to look at Hiei.

"It's great to see you out of your room, finally!" Kurama said as he pulled out a chair to sit across from her. "How are you feeling?"

"I'm fine," Jenny spoke quietly, keeping her gaze firmly on Kurama's green eyes. "Just happy to be out of my room, honestly."

"We're almost ready to eat," Yukina said as she set out two more plates.

"I'm not staying," Hiei said abruptly. His red eyes lingered on Jenny for a moment before he turned to leave. "Glad to see that you're up."

And before anyone could say anything else, he was gone.

"Hiei-" Without thinking, Jenny moved to stand up, but momentarily forgot that she needed crutches. The motion sent a wave of uncomfortable pain through her leg & she fell back onto the chair with a wince. She reached for the crutches, but was stopped when Genkai put her hand on her arm.

"Don't," she said sternly. "Let him go."

"But-"

"Just let him go," she repeated.

"Fine…" Jenny grudgingly released the crutches. She didn't like being ordered around at that moment, but didn't argue about it anymore either.

After that, Kurama & Yukina skillfully guided the conversation back to how Jenny was healing as they ate their breakfast. As soon as she was finished eating, however, Genkai turned her gaze to Jenny.

"Let's go," she ordered abruptly.

Jenny held her coffee cup mid-sip, her blue eyes looking out over the rim at Genkai. "Huh?"

"I said, 'let's go'", Genkai repeated, obviously annoyed. She stood up & held out the crutches to Jenny.

"Uh…" She gave an awkward glance to Kurama, who shrugged in reply. _What the hell is this about?_ She grasped the crutches, stood carefully,  & began following Genkai down the hall. "Where are we going?" We'd already passed the living room, which was our normal discussion location. Jenny was struggling to keep up with the fast pace Genkai had set. _Damn my knee & these crutches..._

Without pausing to turn & look at her, Genkai simply said, "Out back."

Genkai slid open a door that led to the backyard. Jenny saw over Genkai's shoulder that there was a small seating area in the yard that surrounded a fire pit. It seemed almost too "normal" to be in this yard.

A memory flashed into her mind suddenly of a similar fire pit. _I used to have one… when I was little._ I took a deep breath as I remembered. _Before I was sold to Kai… at my "mother's" house,_ she thought to herself bitterly. Jenny had been having more  & more of these little memory intrusions since Kai had brought everything back to her. She knew all of her memories were back, but it's not like all of a sudden everything rushed back to her all at the same time. No one could remember all of their memories all at once. It's like she knew they were there, sitting in the back of her mind waiting to be re-discovered. Jenny pushed that particular memory aside as she followed Genkai's lead & sat in one of the plastic chairs, directly across from Genkai. She laid the crutches down next to her on the ground.

Genkai's eyes took her in briefly in silence. She felt them boring into her soul, watching her, as if waiting for something. Jenny felt incredibly uncomfortable, but she was unable to avert her eyes. She ran her fingers through her hair habitually, tucking strands behind her ear nervously. She knew she had to say something.

"So…." The silence dragged on. _Well that wasn't very useful_ ….

Genkai finally sighed & closed her eyes. "What's your plan now?"

"Huh? What do you mean?" The abrupt question startled her.

"Kai's gone now, your memories are back according to what Kurama's told me, & you're healing up nicely," Genkai summarized. "What's your plan now?"

Jenny stared at her in shock for a short time. "Um… to be honest, I hadn't really thought about it." It was the truth, too. She inwardly face-palmed at this realization. _How could I not have thought about what I plan on doing next? Surely Genkai couldn't want me to stay here with her. I've already been enough of a nuisance._

"Well you should probably start thinking about that," Genkai said with a hint of irritation. Her face contorted slightly as she made an effort to soften her annoyance. When she spoke again, her voice held less of an edge. "What I mean is, you have a lot to deal with still. While everything with Kai has indeed been resolved, you haven't actually dealt with the realities of your new memories, as well as what you'll do to raise this baby without Jin. Your future."

The words stung. _Raising a baby on my own, no money, no job, no life. Everything I had was tied up in Kai before Kurama found me. I had no college degree or job. I had been with Kai since I was 18. How could I possibly expect to raise this baby on my own, much less take care of myself, as I am now?_ Panic rose in my throat as I felt a tear slip down my cheek. Genkai's voice broke her out of her own thoughts.

"You've been through a lot, but you have to start thinking about all of these things," she said. "You're running out of time. You're what… 5 months along now? Over halfway there. I know losing Jin has to be hard on you, but you have to push past that for the baby & for yourself, if you want to have any kind of future. Now that you're away from Kai, that's a possibility."

That last statement caught her off guard. She hadn't thought about that before, either. When she'd been stuck with Kai, that was all she knew… all she'd expected. She hadn't dreamed of having her own life, her own ambitions, her own family. It was just Kai. Now, though… _I have my own life._ That simple statement excited her in a way she hadn't felt before.

Her joy must've shown on her face because Genkai gave her a small smile. "A nice feeling, huh?"

Jenny nodded. She finally felt able to speak. "I feel like I'm a mess, though. I'm excited I have my own life & that I'm away from Kai now. But I also have this immense sadness that won't leave me alone. I keep having to relive my memories of Kai when I dream. And I miss Jin so much," Her voice broke & she paused to give herself time to gather her emotions. "It hurts to even think about him…. to know he won't be here with me or the baby." She let out a deep breath & continued. "But I also want to start my new life, even though Jin won't be there with me. And that's what makes me feel the worst… moving on without Jin. I feel like I'm betraying him somehow." She finally let her eyes rise to meet Genkai's curious gaze.

"Do you honestly believe Jin would feel betrayed by you living the life he fought so hard for you to have?"

Jenny was stunned again by her words. Yet again, Genkai brought up something she hadn't thought about before. Jin had fought for her. He'd fought for her to be free from Kai, so she could live. Even if he's not here with me, wouldn't he want me to keep going?

"No," Jenny responded finally. "No, he wouldn't. I just can't help feeling a little guilty."

"I expect that's normal," Genkai said simply. "But are you sure there's not another reason you feel guilty?"

Jenny eyed Genkai skeptically. "What do you mean?" _Another reason…?_

"Kurama told me all about his… suspicions… regarding Hiei."

Unable to stop myself, I rolled my eyes & shifted uncomfortably in my seat. _Ugh… Seriously?! I'm gonna have to have a talk with Kurama…_

"Why would I feel guilty about that?" Jenny asked, but she had a feeling that she knew where this was going.

"It's really none of my business & I honestly don't really give a crap what you do with your personal life, but you & Hiei are close. Very close. It wouldn't be unusual to start feeling something more than friendship, I suppose."

Jenny stared at Genkai, dumbfounded. _Seriously?! How could she possibly think….?!_ She felt her face contorting to show her obvious annoyance at Genkai's opinion.

Genkai, apparently not wanting to argue this any further, changed the subject. "Anyway, I'm sure Kurama will want to take you back to his home soon. I have no doubt he needs to get back to his life, too. I'll let you two work all of that out, but you're welcome to stay here until it's time for you to go back." She stood swiftly, her pink-grey hair moving softly in the breeze as she moved. "Hiei has agreed to help you get your leg back in shape."

"What?" Jenny said, surprised. "He hasn't so much as talked to me in quite a while."

"I told him he was doing well with training you before, so helping you rehab your leg should be no issue for him. He'll help you get your strength back. Is that a problem?" Genkai had turned to give her a displeased glare over a shoulder as she moved back toward the house.

Jenny waved her hands swiftly in front of her. "No, no… that's fine."

When Genkai had gone back into the house, Jenny gave a sigh of relief. _Jeez, she can be scary sometimes…._

She stretched her legs out in front of her, leaning back in the chair, realizing that this was the first time she'd been outside since the night Kai had taken her. She forced that thought out of her mind as she closed her eyes & enjoyed the feel of the warm sunlight on her skin.

Finally, her thoughts returned to the conversation she'd had with Genkai. " _Are you sure there's not another reason you're feeling guilty?"_ Her words rang through her mind again. _How could she say something like that? I don't_ like _Hiei like that… he's my best friend. He's been there for me through everything. He's stood up for me, trained me, cared about me… That's all..._

The warm sunlight was beginning to make her drowsy. It felt so good to lay outside in the sun & she was exhausted from all of the movement she wasn't yet used to. She allowed herself to relax & she felt herself drifting off into sleep.

* * *

The image of his face inches from hers came on suddenly. She could feel his breath on her lips, the weight of his body pressed against her. Her heart raced wildly. Her wide eyes watched as his face moved closer, his own eyes closed. She felt his lips brush hers gently, but one of his hands moved almost possessively to her shoulder, holding her there protectively. She wanted to get away, yet she didn't want him to stop all at the same time. Her body felt hot, even more so with his body pressing down on top of her.

"Jenny…."

The voice startled her, but before she could say anything she felt his lips on hers, kissing her with surprising intensity. It was a kiss that she felt through her entire body. Without warning, his lips were gone. She slowly opened her eyes to see his red eyes watching intently her as he caught his breath.

"Do you want me to stop?"

Without thinking, she heard herself whisper, "No…."

She felt his lips on her again with a renewed intensity.

* * *

"Jenny?"

She was woke, bewildered, her hands grasping hard on the arms of the chair. "Huh?"

Kurama's peered down at her with a look of concern etched on his face. "Are you alright? A bad dream?"

The memories of the dream were still fresh in her mind. She felt warm & her breathing was faster than normal. She put a hand to her forehead, trying to clear her thoughts. _What was that all about…? Hiei….?_ She put her fingers to her lips. She could still feel where he'd kissed her in the dream. Her face flushed a dark red.

"Jenny?" Kurama asked again, putting a hand on her shoulder.

"Sorry, Kurama…" Jenny replied, trying to keep her voice steady. "Just a dream. I'm fine…"

He smiled at her gently. "Let's get you inside. You should get some rest before lunch," he said. "Tomorrow we'll go home."

Jenny looked at him questioningly. "Home?"

"Back to my house, of course," Kurama replied, then his face took on a more serious, unreadable look. "That is, if you want to. You still have a room at my house & I'm more than happy to have you there, but I understand if you don't- I didn't mean to presume-"

"Kurama," Jenny interrupted, smiling up at him. "Of course I'll go back with you. You're my family now. I'll stay as long as you'll have me around." She elbowed him playfully. "I can start annoying you like a good sister's supposed to."

Kurama chuckled. "I look forward to it." He nodded toward the house. "Want any help getting back to your room?"

Jenny sighed & stretched her arms. "No, I'll manage. But can you give me a little longer out here? It's so nice out. I'll head inside in a few minutes."

"Just call me if you need anything," Kurama responded.

After he'd left, Jenny let out a deep breath. _What was up with that dream?_ She put her fingers to her lips again. The sensation was lingering. _I liked it,_ she realized. Her heart was racing just like it had in the dream.

 _What's wrong with me?_


	21. Chapter 21 - Letting Go

**Author's Note:** I love how this chapter turned out. Let me know what you think! :)

 **Chapter 21 - Letting Go**

She moaned as he kissed her & all of her hesitation disappeared as she felt him press his hips down into hers. One of his hands slid up her shirt, across her stomach, to firmly squeeze one of her breasts. His thumb moved in a circle over her nipple, causing a delicious shiver of pleasure to ripple through her. She felt him smirk against her lips, which made her smile breathlessly in return. He moved his mouth to her neck & trailed kisses mixed with gentle, but insistent, nips with his sharp teeth. He was being gentler than she imagined he'd be, but the way he held her, touched her, kissed her… it felt possessive, like he wasn't going to let her go for anything, no matter what. It infuriated her that he thought he had that much power, but at the same time she craved it. She wanted him to want her like this, to want to keep her.

She felt him whisper against her neck. "I'm going to keep you safe."

She felt his teeth graze her collarbone. She shuddered & dug her fingernails into his back, not wanting him to stop. This time she felt him gasp in pleasure. She could feel him hard, pressing between her legs through their clothes. The sensation excited her even more. To her dismay, he removed his lips from her neck & moved so his intense, red eyes were looking directly into her blue eyes.

"You're mine," he stated matter-of-factly, before initiating a kiss so fierce that every other thought disappeared. All that mattered was him.

"Hi...ei…" she gasped as she felt his fingers unbuttoning her shorts. Her entire body ached for him to touch her.

"J-Jenny?!" She heard a quiet, accusatory voice interrupt her pleasure. Her eyes snapped open. She felt like she couldn't breath. Standing next to the bed she saw Jin. He was watching them with a mixture of hurt & anger swirling in his eyes.

* * *

She sat up in bed, frantic, hands clutching her chest as her heart raced. Her eyes flew around the room, searching.

 _Another dream…?_

She sat up in bed, momentarily unable to think, as she waited for her pulse & breathing to slow down. She finally let out a deep breath & let herself lay back onto the bed again. She ran a hand through her hair, which she was surprised to find drenched in sweat.

 _Jeez… that dream really got to me. It felt so real. And what Hiei said…_

Her face flushed red when she realized just how much the dream had affected her. Her nipples clearly stood out under her shirt & she could tell she was wet between her legs. Her body was clearly responding to everything she'd experienced in the dream. She closed her eyes & grimaced in embarrassment.

 _Ugh… how can I face Hiei, now?_

Another memory from the dream flashed in her mind.

 _Jin…._ A pang of sorrow  & fear shot through her. _He saw…!_ She shook her head, trying to erase the memory. _No. No, it was a dream. Just a dream…._

She tried to get her mind off of the dream, hoping her body would forget it as easily. Morning sunlight streamed in through the curtains in the familiar room.

She sighed as she thought about the previous day, when her & Kurama had returned to their house. That still felt a little strange for her to process. This was her house now, too. Her home. They'd gotten up early the previous morning, packed up their things, & said their goodbyes to everyone. Really, she'd only been saying goodbye to Yukina & Genkai, since everyone else decided to head back home, too.

She quickly realized that Genkai had already talked to Hiei about helping her get her leg back to normal, because he actually said a few words to her. Something along the lines of, "Don't think I'll go easy on you just because you're still healing," before he disappeared. She assumed he was going back home, too, but he hadn't said anything else about it.

The fact that he'd been so cold to her was upsetting, but she also didn't know how to act around him anymore… especially now. They'd been so close until… She closed her eyes, deciding not to let the memories of Kai interrupt her thoughts.

Instead, she was interrupted by a knock at the door. She sat up, running her fingers through her hair, trying to tame the frazzled mane, as the door slowly opened. To her surprise, it was Hiei who stood in the doorway. He wore a pair of loose black pants with boots & a black tank top. The sight of him, after that dream, made her draw in a quick breath. She hoped he hadn't heard.

"Still in bed?" His red eyes glided over the room, eventually resting on her.

His gaze made her uncomfortable. She blushed slightly as she remembered that she wore a thin, white tank top. The fact that she wasn't wearing a bra made her feel completely exposed to him at that moment. She tried to slide the blanket up to cover her without making it obvious, but when his gaze flickered to the movement she felt her cheeks burn even more. He quickly averted his eyes to the window, but she thought she saw him tense as realization flashed across his face.

 _Why now? And after that dream…. Ugh._

"Um, yeah…," she replied, trying to keep her voice steady. "I just woke up. What time is it?"

"Well past time for you to be up," Hiei responded. He turned to leave. "Get dressed. We're going to start your leg rehab this morning" Before she could respond, he was gone. The door closed silently behind him.

She let out the breath she hadn't noticed she was holding.

 _Well this should be interesting…._

After another glance at the door, she slipped out of bed & began getting dressed.

They'd walked in awkward silence to the park. Jenny had changed into a pair of black running shorts & a red racer-back tank top. She wore a black brace on her knee to help steady her, along with her cane.

When they arrived at the park, Hiei had talked her through some exercises & stretches she could use to help strengthen the muscles in her leg & help her get some of her balance back. Although he seemed entirely focused on his methods, Jenny noticed he wouldn't touch her. He'd show her what to do using his own body & she'd mimic what he was doing. Hiei also didn't speak to her more than necessary for the training. After doing this for about an hour, Jenny began to get more & more agitated with him.

As she walked across the park, working on her balance without leaning on the cane, she thought, _What the hell is wrong with him?! He's acting like I have a disease or something. We used to train together all the time & he had no issue getting physical with me then…_ The words her mind had chosen made her blush, causing her to lose her balance for a split second. She put her hands out to steady herself before continuing. _... I mean, he never used to have an issue touching me for training. And now he won't even talk to me as we train! He used to shit talk me the entire time!_

She was startled out of her thoughts when a rush of air flew past her & Hiei appeared in front of her.

"What are you doing, idiot?!" His palm was stretched out between them as if to stop her, but he still didn't touch her.

Jenny glanced around & was startled to see that she was a few feet away from walking right out into the street. She'd been so focused on her thoughts of Hiei that she hadn't realized she'd walked all the way across the park. She'd have walked right out into the road if Hiei hadn't stopped her.

"Sorry," she muttered. "I guess I got lost in my thoughts…"

"How stupid can you be to almost walk out into traffic?" His voice had a hard edge to it that made her own anger boil right back out to the surface.

She thrust out a hand & pushed his shoulder as hard as she could without making herself fall over, which of course didn't do much of anything to him.

"Well maybe if you weren't being such an annoying, confusing, asshole I wouldn't be so caught up in my own thoughts! Maybe if you weren't acting so weird I'd be more focused!"

The emotion in her own voice caught her off guard, but she didn't back down. She continued to glare at him with an intensity that apparently surprised Hiei. She saw confusion flicker across his face before his own gaze hardened into a glare to match hers.

"I don't know what you're talking about."

"You sure as shit do, Hiei!" Her voice was stronger now as she moved toward him. Anger & emotion pulsed through her. She knew she couldn't hold back anymore. "You've been acting strange ever since you caught me when I fell & I freaked. You know very well what I went through. You saw it. You know I didn't freak out because of you. It was because of what happened with Kai. But you took it personal. And you've been avoiding me ever since! You didn't used to act like this with me. You won't talk to me. You won't even so much as lay a finger on me! It's like you're afraid!" She stopped, her chest heaving angrily. She grabbed a fistful of his shirt & moved toward him. He made no effort to stop her. "What's wrong with you?! Are you that bothered by what happened to me that you don't want anything to do with me anymore?!"

She'd finally said out loud the thought that had been nagging at the back of her mind for the last week… the thought that she'd been scared to put words to…. the thought she hadn't even fully realized was her actual fear.

Her breath came in ragged gasps as she glared into his eyes. She tried to fight it off, but she felt hot tears coming unbidden to her eyes. She loosened the grip she had on his shirt & took a step back, tearing her gaze away from him to try to hide the emotion in her eyes. He watched her with an unreadable expression on his face.

She released his shirt finally, letting her hand begin to fall back to her side, but she felt an unexpected, tight grip on her wrist that startled her. Her eyes flew to her wrist & saw Hiei's hand wrapped tightly around it. She couldn't bring herself to look up at Hiei's face, so she continued to stare at his hand.

"I don't think you can comprehend how much what happened to you bothered me." His voice came out as a low growl.

His statement brought her anger & frustration bursting out again. "Then why do you even bother being out here with me?! I don't need you to-"

"Shut up!"

His turbulent voice stopped her cold. She forced herself to raise her eyes to meet his. In his eyes she saw a lot of unexpected emotions. Anger. Hurt. Fear. Rage. Annoyance. She could feel the heat of his anger radiating from his skin, especially where he still gripped her wrist. The thought that he was a fire demon seemed more obvious than ever now.

They locked eyes, their glares battling each other silently. She felt his grip on her wrist tighten even more.

"Why don't you just let me protect you? Why does it matter if I don't touch you? Just let me do what I need to do, stupid woman." He broke the eye contact & looked down at the wrist he held in his hand. "I'll hurt you & I don't want to see you hurt again."

"Then why-!"

The shock of his words hadn't even sunk in yet when he cut her off again. This time, though, he pulled her to him by her wrist, which caused her to stumble forward into him. He wrapped his other arm around her waist & he clutched her tight against him. Her eyes were wide in shock as she felt him press his warm lips roughly against hers. She could feel every inch of his body against hers. Embarrassment about how large her belly must feel against him briefly fluttered through her mind, but those thoughts were quickly erased by other emotions that flooded in. She could feel his hand grasping her wrist so tight it hurt. She couldn't help but have memories of the dream she'd had that morning flash through her mind. The intensity of the kiss made her feel weak & she surprised herself when she realized she was kissing him back with just as much intensity. The heat of him made her feel light-headed. The need that she'd felt that morning re-awakened in her as she felt him pressing her harder into him.

Other memories, though, began flashing through her mind. Hiei's tight grip on her wrist made her think of Kai. Images of Kai holding her down, forcing himself on her, overtook the other memories of her dream. Suddenly she felt as if she were drowning. She tried to pull her wrist away from Hiei's grasp, but failed as he pulled her even closer. Memories of Kai pressed against her made her head spin. Her breathing quickened as anxiety took over.

A sob escaped her lips & when Hiei felt it, he abruptly released her, causing her to become even more off balance. She saw a look of horror & realization spreading across his face as she felt herself crumple to the ground. At the last second, she felt his arms catch her & stop her fall. He helped lower her to the ground, where she sat gasping for air & trying to calm her racing heart. She closed her eyes & all she could see was Kai's haunting face, smiling down at her with glazed eyes.

"See?" Hiei said coldly. Jenny turned to look at him & saw that, even though his voice was cold, his eyes held a wild mix of emotions. "Even now Kai hurts you, but this time it was my fault."

"Hiei-"

"Don't." His voice held the edge to it again that he'd had before their kiss. There was a long silence before he spoke again. "I'll escort you back to Kurama's. We won't speak of this again. Kurama is fully capable of helping you with your leg from this point on."

 _Why? Why does he keep shutting me out? Doesn't he get that I don't want him to leave me alone? All I want is for me & Hiei to go back to the way we were before..._

"But-!" His glare cut her off. She stared at him for several moments before simply nodding.

He held out a hand to help her up, but it was obvious he didn't want to reinitiate physical contact with her. She cautiously accepted the hand & stood with the help of the cane. She felt hurt by his words & cold demeanor, but she also couldn't help but feel that she'd hurt him, too, somehow.

 _Damn him…._

They walked back to Kurama's in yet another awkward silence. Hiei wouldn't even look at her.

* * *

When they'd arrived at Kurama's, Hiei left her at the door without a word. She didn't look back at him as he left. She was too afraid to. As she entered the house, Kurama had greeted her & asked how her training had gone. She had muttered something about how it was fine & said she was going to bed because she was exhausted from it all. In reality, she just wanted to be alone. She'd escaped into the bedroom before Kurama even had a chance to respond.

When she closed the door she stripped off her training gear, slipped into pajamas again, & crawled into bed. It was true that she was exhausted, but it was more of a mental exhaustion than a physical one. She felt like everything was falling apart all over again. Exhaustion finally took over & she drifted off into a fitful sleep.

She was standing in the middle of a clearing in the forest. Candles glittered all around her in the darkness. A warm breeze tickled her skin. It was beautiful.

 _I recognize this place._

"This was prob'ly one of my favorite memories of ya," a voice said quietly from behind her. "Ya were so beautiful. I was thinkin' it's when we made the lil' one ya got there now."

The accent made her breath catch in her throat & she spun to face it. The sight of his red hair & his infectious smile made her ache with joy.

"Jin?" She reached up to touch his face, still not quite believing what she was seeing. Almost instantaneously, though, she pulled her hand back, remembering the last time she'd thought she'd seen Jin. His hand reached out & stopped her from moving farther away. For some reason, the action reminded her of the way Hiei had grabbed her wrist earlier.

"'s okay, Jenny," Jin gave her a sad smile. "'Tis really me this time."

"You know?" Her heart ached even more to think that he knew about what happened with Kai. "How?"

"First, let me hold ya… just fer a minute." She could see a sadness in his eyes that she'd never seen before when he was alive.

The thought that he wasn't really here, that this was just a dream, made her reach out & hold onto him tighter. Her arms wrapped around his waist & she nuzzled her face against his chest, tears falling freely. She felt him pull her closer & lean his head against the top of hers. They held each other for what seemed like an eternity, just basking in the warmth of each other's embrace. Finally, he lifted his head to look down at her. She felt one of his hands slip under her chin to lift her gaze to meet his.

"I'm so sorry, Jenny. If only I'd been there ta protect ya…." She saw a tear in the corner of his eye & it broke her heart.

"It wasn't your fault," she whispered to him. "How…?"

"I was watchin' over ya," Jin began. "I saw everythin'." She felt him tense slightly. One of his hands clenched into a fist.

A wave of embarrassment & shame washed over her & she looked down at the ground. "Everything? You saw what… what Kai… what he…" She couldn't get the words out.

Jin pulled her chin back up so she was looking at him. "You have nothin' ta be 'shamed 'bout." His eyes blazed intensely. "What he did ta ya… well, he'll pay for that. Trust me on that one. He's dead, just like me, y'know… He's where I can… deal wit' 'im…." He trailed off, leaving the rest of his explanation unsaid. "But that's not why I came ta ya."

"Came to me?" Jenny asked as she ran a hand over his upper arm, marveling that she was touching him. _God, he's still so perfect._ "This is a dream, right? You can do that? Visit? Why haven't you done it before?" It certainly felt like a dream to have him back in her arms at that moment.

"'Tis not somethin' we can really do easily. It took a lot fer me ta get here, but I felt like I needed ta talk ta ya now, with everythin' goin' on." His voice was quieter & more withdrawn that it had been a moment before.

"With everything going on..?" she repeated. Then it hit her. "Hiei?" She felt another wave of shame run through her as she forced herself to look up at him. "That's what you mean, right?"

Jin winced. "Ya, that's right." He brushed her hair back behind her ear & she leaned into his hand, enjoying the sensation. "That's what I wanted ta talk ta ya 'bout."

It all came out at once. "Jin, I'm so sorry. I just… I don't know… Hiei & I got close & now… He has feelings for me &... & I guess I feel something for him…" Frustration caused her to rake her own fingers through her hair as she looked up at him with pleading eyes. "I don't even know what's going on. I'm so confused. And I still love you.. But you're gone." Her voice broke. "I-I want to move on.. I need to… for our baby.. But how do I move on without you?! And with what I'm feeling for Hiei… And he's being a complete ass… And-"

Jin laughed & grabbed her by the shoulders, trying to calm her. "Woah…. It's a'right!" He looked into her eyes for a few moments before pulling her close to him again. He held her against his chest, letting his hand slide up & down along her back tenderly. He spoke softly into her hair. "I've been watchin' remember?"

She tensed. _He saw everything with Hiei, too._

"I know how yer feelin' & I know how Hiei's feelin'. As much as it kills me ta see someone else wit' ya, I get it," Jin continued. "Do ya really think I'd want ya pining after me yer entire life when I'm dead an' gone? I want ya ta be happy, Jenny. No matter what…."

"What are you saying….?" Part of her dreaded what she knew he was about to say & part of her desperately wanted to hear it.

"Hiei has feelings for ya & while, yes, he can be a bit o' a jerk sometimes, he protects what he cares 'bout. That's what I want fer ya. That's what I want fer this lil' one."

Jin placed a hand on her stomach & smiled down at their baby. Warmth washed over Jenny as she watched his joy at being able to feel the life they created. She placed her hand on his. "They'll know who you are, Jin…."

"I still can't believe I helped create this…. A lil' one…" He smiled down at the baby & then up at her. "I'm a lucky one."

"Jin…." She felt tears in her eyes again, as much as she didn't want to cry right in that moment.

"Jenny, listen ta me… I want ya ta be happy. No matter what. No matter who yer with. Please…." His own voice broke then. "I couldn't take it if ya stopped livin' just 'cause I'm not around. Do what makes ya happy."

"But, I don't…."

"Ya have feelin's fer Hiei whether ya want ta admit them ta me right now or not." The bluntness of his statement caught her off guard, but he softened the words by putting a hand to the side of her face. _Do I…?_ "I don't have much time left wit' ya right now. Please.. Just listen to my advice?"

All she could do was stare at him before giving him a small nod. He smiled down at her finally. "Good girl," he said in a more cheerful voice. It sounded like the old Jin again. "Now, let's make the most o' the lil' time we have left together."

He leaned down, hand still on her belly, & kissed her. It wasn't like the passionate kisses he gave her the last time they were in this clearing, when they made their baby. This was completely different. It was a goodbye. It held everything he had, all of his feelings for both of them. She felt tears sliding down her cheeks, but she wasn't sad. She felt so incredibly happy to be with him in that moment. All three of them together finally.

He smiled against her lips as he ended the kiss. "Goodbye, Jenny…." Slowly she felt his touch leaving her, disappearing.

When she opened her eyes, she was staring up at her bedroom ceiling. The fact that Jin wasn't in front of her almost caused her to break down all over again, but she stopped herself. She knew what she had to do now. It killed her & excited her all at once.

Finally, she wept both in mourning over letting go of Jin & with contentment & joy at what life held before her.


	22. Chapter 22 - Confessions

Author's Note: This chapter's shorter than I would've liked, but I wanted to leave off at this point. Only a few chapters left after this one! Let me know what you think!

 **Chapter 22 - Confessions**

 _I can do this….. I have to do this. For me._

Jenny took a deep breath & held up her hand to knock on the door. Before she was able to touch the door, though, it flew open, startling her. She found herself face to face with Hiei much sooner than she'd anticipated. She stared at him in startled silence.

"What do you want?" His voice was harsh. Red eyes watched her coldly.

"I, uh…" She fidgeted with the bottom of her shirt nervously. "I wanted to talk to you."

"What is there to talk about?"

 _He used to at least be civil toward me, but now…._ She felt herself starting to get angry with him already, so she took a deep breath to calm herself before responding. _Darn these pregnancy hormones… making me get extra emotional when I don't want to._

"Just hear me out, Hiei." She hadn't meant for it to come out sounding like a plea, but it had.

After a few long moments, where Hiei watched her uncomfortably as he contemplated her, he opened the door wider, turned & walked back into the house. Assuming he left the door open as an invitation, she followed him into the house, closing the door behind him.

She walked, following behind Hiei at a distance, until they reached the living room. Hiei sat on the far side of the couch, choosing to look anywhere but at her. Jenny sat down on the opposite end of the couch, fearing to sit too close to him. She didn't know how he was going to react to her, or what he was going to say. The silence stretched on for a time before Hiei interrupted her troubled thoughts.

"Get on with it, already," he complained, his eyes firmly fixed on the wall across from him. "You said you had something to say."

 _I'm not sure if I even want to say it now,_ she thought, annoyed. But she knew she had to.

"Hiei, I'm sorry about yesterday. You know it wasn't because of you, it was-" She kept her eyes on her hands, which she was nervously fidgeting with.

"I know, it was because of Kai. Is that all you came here to talk about?" His voice was even more agitated than before.

"Hiei, listen to me!" she said firmly. "I need you to hear me out. Without interrupting me at all. Can you do that? Please? Just listen to everything I have to say before responding?" She snuck a glance over at him & was surprised to see him watching her. When he saw her look over at him, he quickly averted his gaze back to the wall.

"Hn."

 _Always the conversationalist._

Taking that as an affirmative response, though, she began.

"I didn't really think too much of you when I first met you. I thought you were kind of a jerk & anti-social… which I guess you kind of are."

She heard him give a grunt of humorous agreement, which made her smile the slightest bit. It gave her the courage to keep going, knowing he was at least listening to her & could still keep a sense of humor. The Hiei she knew was still there somewhere, which gave her comfort.

"But my opinion of you started to change a little bit when you saved me that night when Jin was being controlled by Kai. You didn't have to stop him, but you did. It proved you weren't just some uncaring asshole. And then you found out who my real mom was & introduced me to her." Another smile flickered across her face. "Sure, it was because you didn't trust me & you wanted to find out who I was in case I was a threat of some kind, but still… it meant a lot to me. It gave me a piece of my past that I didn't know. Then that same night you gave me a place to stay when I didn't think I could face Kurama."

"I don't see what-"

Jenny turned to give him her best Hiei glare impression, which she knew she totally failed at. "You said you'd listen."

"I didn't say-" He finally glanced up & saw her expression. He gave a grunt of annoyance, but stopped talking, making it obvious he was letting her continue.

 _He's so frickin' stubborn._

With a sigh, she went on. "Then when I went to Genkai's to try to learn more, you helped me train to become stronger so I could protect myself. You didn't have to do that, either. You don't even like humans." Again, she heard an amused noise come from the other side of the couch.

"Then when Jin, died…." Her voice trailed off for a moment as she had to gather her thoughts. The dream she'd had the day before was fresh in her mind. Her heart still ached. She forced herself to continue. "When Jin died you helped me through that, in your own way. You were tough on me when we trained. You didn't let me wallow in self pity or anything like that. You forced me to see that I had to move on… that I had to keep on living." She gently stroked her belly with a hand as she spoke. "You made me see that I had to fight to keep on going."

Her voice broke as she spoke the next part, but she fought back the tears. She wouldn't let herself cry. At least, not yet, anyway. "A-And when Kai took me…. you didn't stop until I was away from him. You fought for me. You saved me, yet again. Even after.. When I was just starting to deal with how I felt after…. You still stayed with me.. Protected me… watched over me….. Even after I freaked out on you after falling down in my room. You watched over me without wanting me to know…. You didn't have to do any of that. I'm nothing to you. I'm just a stupid human woman who was given a crappy start to life, was sold & used by Kai for years, escaped & ended up losing her memories of it all, then ended up at Kurama's place. You didn't ask to have to deal with me, but you did anyway…." She trailed off, not quite sure how to continue. Hiei still wasn't looking at her, but it was obvious she had his attention by his change in body language. He was sitting up straighter now, one arm resting on the arm of the couch, his fingers digging into the leather the slightest bit. She appreciated that he wasn't interrupting her anymore, either. They sat in awkward silence for a time before she finally spoke again.

"Then I heard you talking to Yusuke outside of my room one day." Out of the corner of her eye she saw Hiei stiffen, but she forced herself to continue on. "I heard what Yusuke said… about what he thought… that he thought you liked me." Jenny nervously tucked her hair behind her ear as she spoke. "I'm not going to lie, it kind of freaked me out. I wasn't sure what to think."

"Stop this." She jumped a little when he spoke. She was so focused on what she was saying & hadn't expected to hear his voice.

"No," she responded simply. "I need to say all of this & you're going to hear me out." _He's going to listen whether he likes it or not._ She didn't wait for a response, she just pressed on. "But I started thinking about it… a lot, actually. I thought back on everything we'd been through together. And then I had these dreams…." She felt her cheeks reddening, as much as she hated it. _Dammit…_ "But you were being such an ass & ignoring me. You can be so confusing sometimes, you know that?! Then yesterday…. You kissed me."

 _Now for the hard part…._ She took a deep breath, allowing herself the smallest glimmer of time to gather the rest of her courage.

"And I liked it. A lot, actually…." She felt the blush on her cheeks darken even further. She could feel his eyes on her now, but she kept her gaze fixed on her hands now. She knew she'd lose every ounce of courage she had if she looked at him again. "But I had a lot going through my mind…. Kai being a big part of it. What he did to me.. That's not going to just disappear. It's something I have to work through. But it was more than that. It was Jin…."

She felt Hiei shift uncomfortably on the couch, but he didn't interrupt her.

"I love Jin, Hiei. I don't think that will ever go away, either. He's part of me now." She smiled down at her growing belly, but she saw a scowl appear on Hiei's face out of the corner of her eye. The mention of Jin seemed to cause a change in him. He seemed almost… jealous? She pressed on. "But I also know Jin wants me to be happy. He wants me to live. He doesn't want me to be alone."

"You speak as if you know exactly what Jin wants," Hiei stated in defiance. "How could you possibly know what Jin would want you to do now? And what does it even matter if he's gone now."

"He came to me last night… in a dream," Jenny said quietly, risking a glance over at Hiei to gauge his response.

"What?!" He stared at her, tense & confused. It was plainly obvious that he didn't like this bit of new information.

"I had a dream last night… It was Jin."

"How could you possibly know that it was actually him-?"

"He told me he wanted me to be be happy," Jenny cut him off again. "He said he knew you cared about me."

 _Here we go…._

Hiei immediately stopped talking & stared at her.

"He said that you cared a lot about me & that you were only acting the way you were because you cared. He said, even though he knew you could be a jerk sometimes…" Jenny smiled, thinking back to how Jin spoke about Hiei. Jealousy mixed with admiration. "...he knew you would protect me because you cared about me." She forced herself to turn toward him. "Hiei, you've always been there for me. You've been my best friend, but lately… it's been more than that. I-I care about you, too."

There. She'd said it. The words hung heavy between them. The air was tense with anticipation. His eyes finally lifted to meet hers.

"I care about you, Hiei. It just took me a while to realize it…. But I also know that I'm a lot to… handle… right now. I have a baby on the way & I'm dealing with all the aftermath of the Kai stuff. I don't know if anyone would want to have to deal with that…"

Suddenly she didn't know what else to say. Her throat felt thick & she could tell she was right on the verge of tears. She felt vulnerable being that open with him about her feelings, but she also knew that it needed to be said. She needed to take Jin's advice & live.

"I'm not good for you… or the baby… You don't know me." was Hiei's response.

Suddenly she felt rage surging up into her all over again. Her head snapped back up to look at him. "Is that all you really have to say?! That same crap again?! Why can't you just talk to me?!"

Her tone apparently shocked him, since he simply stared at her for a long while, eyes wide.

She went on, her filter completely gone now that her anger had taken over. "Just tell me the truth, Hiei!? If you don't want me, then say so & you won't have to see me again. But if you do…." She took a deep breath. "If you do… then why do you keep making excuses? I'm right here.. Telling you I want you…"

"I'm not good… My past-" His eyes flared with frustration.

"I don't care! I'm not saying I want to get married right now, Hiei, jeez! I'm just saying... I'm just.." Her voice cracked again with emotion. "I don't want to let this go… not if it could be something good someday… I don't want to live with that regret…" She stared down at her feet, finally done with her speech, & waited for his response.

He stayed silent for what seemed like an eternity. The wait was agonizing. Eventually she felt movement on the couch. She glanced up slightly to see Hiei moving to sit closer next to her out of the corner of her eye.

"You really… feel this way?" The vulnerability in his voice shocked her enough to cause her to lift her head to look him in the eye. His red eyes were more gentle & concerned than she'd ever seen them. She couldn't look away.

"Y-yeah…" was all she could get out. If she was being honest with herself, his eyes had taken her breath away. She felt so drawn to them & it made her thoughts fuzzy. Her heart beat a little faster.

She wasn't sure when it began, with how focused she had been on his eyes, but she felt his hand graze her cheek with surprising gentleness, as if he wasn't sure he should do what he was doing. She saw his gaze shift to her lips & reality set back in. For the first time, she realized just how good he smelled. He had an earthy, masculine scent that calmed & excited her at the same time. He leaned toward her the slightest bit, but pulled back, hesitant again.

"Is this… okay?"

The question surprised her, but when she thought back to the previous day she understood. He didn't want her to have to think about Kai. The look in his eyes also said he didn't again want to feel the way he felt when she pulled back from him.

 _Is it…? Am I going to have the same issue I did yesterday?_ For some reason it didn't feel the same. This felt… gentle. Mutual. She was sure of herself now.

She leaned forward, closing the gap between them, his hand still resting on her cheek. She let her lips linger a breath's distance away from his. She could feel his unsteady breathing against her lips. The heat coming off of his body surprised her, yet again.

 _Fire demon,_ she reminded herself.

His warmth was what did it. It was inviting. Enticing.

Before she knew it, she had her hand on the back of his neck, her fingers in his hair. Her lips met his with fierceness that surprised both of them. She felt him stiffen, startled by the suddenness & intensity of her kiss. The heat of him spread through her body, drawing her in even more. The kiss was an exploration. Two people discovering each other for the first time. Hiei let the hand on her cheek slide down the side of her neck.

And then it was over.

Hiei pulled back first. Both of sat in silence, eyes closed, catching their breath for a few moments.

"I'm sorry."

Her eyes jerked open. "Sorry? Seriously, Hiei?! I thought-"

"No. It's not what you think," he interrupted, removing his hand from her neck. His eyes opened to look back into hers.

"Then what?!"

"I do care about you..."

She felt her heart surge. She had known, deep down, but to hear him say it…..

"... But I'm not sure I can do this."

And just like that, she felt her heart drop again. Jenny pulled her hand back, leaning away from him the slightest bit.

"W-what do you mean?" was all she could think to say.

 _I open myself up… after everything… after Jin… and now?_

"It's Jin… & the baby…," Hiei said, breaking eye contact with her. "I'm not sure I can… handle… all of that. A baby is a big deal. And it's someone else's. And besides that, you're… human."

His words hit her like a truck. "Jin? The baby? Human?," she repeated numbly.

"I'm not the great guy you think I am, Jenny," he replied, suddenly standing. She watched him as she moved to leave the room. "I need some space…" He turned to give her one last look over his shoulder. His eyes were sad, but determined. "I'm sorry."

He left the room silently, without another word or glance back. Jenny heard the front door creak open & then quietly close as Hiei exited the home.

She sat on the couch, unmoving, heart aching. She'd opened herself up to someone she thought was going to welcome her in, but….

 _What just happened…?_


	23. Chapter 23 - Mine

Author's Note: Another Hiei POV section to start off this chapter! Only one more chapter after this one, I think! So close to the end! And this is the longest chapter yet! :D

 **Chapter 23 - Mine**

 _I can't talk to the Fox about any of this. He's too close to her._

The light breeze tugged at his shirt as he leaned his back against the tree. Hiei sat on a branch high enough to avoid being bothered by those who frequented the park. His eyes closed, he gave a frustrated sigh.

 _It's been three days already and-_

"Hey, shorty! What are you doing?!" A voice from below broke him out of his thoughts. He cracked an eye open & looked down to see Yusuke smiling up at him playfully.

"What do you want, detective?"

"You've been MIA for the past few days. Where ya been?"

"That's none of your business," Hiei responded matter-of-factly.

"Does it have anything to do with you-know-who?!" Yusuke responded teasingly. Hiei threw a fierce glare down at him to let him know he was overstepping. "Hey now, don't get mad at me because you're having girl problems!" Yusuke laughed to himself. "Never thought I'd say that statement about you! Anyway… Jenny's been pretty much avoiding everyone this week & you've been missing, too. I just assumed…."

 _Idiot…._

Hiei gave an irritated growl before jumping down from the branch, landing a few feet away from Yusuke. "And what's your point?"

Yusuke's face turned serious. "Look, man, I just wanted to try to help if I could. I know you're not exactly….." He seemed to be searching for the right words. "... the most experienced in the dating department. Just thought you might want some advice." He gave another sarcastic laugh & averted his eyes. "But I guess that was kind of a dumb move on my part. I'm not exactly an expert, either."

 _Maybe….._ Hiei eyed Yusuke cautiously. _Maybe this could be just the person….._

"I assume whatever we discuss will be kept between us?"

Yusuke's shocked expression showed that he hadn't been expecting that response from Hiei. "Uh…. yeah! Of course, man!" Yusuke walked over to a bench & sat down, motioning for Hiei to follow. "Shoot!"

Hiei sat uncomfortably on the other side of the bench. "I don't think it could work with Jenny." The words came out awkward & forced. _I hate talking to him about this. Or anyone, for that matter, really._

"Why not?" Yusuke asked. "Because she's human & you're demon? Is that really something you're worried about? I thought you were cool with humans now."

"I don't _hate_ humans, but they aren't exactly my favorite, either," Hiei stated. "But humans  & demons are different. Very different."

"Yeah, I guess so… but Keiko & I are _really_ different  & we manage to make it work. Most of the time, anyway. I mean, we argue. A lot. But it's worth it."

"This is different, Yusuke, & you know it." Hiei shifted restlessly. "It's more than that, though. She's carrying another demon's child. Demons don't take care of another demon's offspring. It's unheard of. If I chose to be her mate, that child comes with her. I'm not sure that's something I can do." Hiei found that, now that he'd started this awkward conversation, the words were flowing more easily. "Maybe I could get past the human issue, but the child? I'd be putting myself in a difficult situation."

"Since when do you back down from difficult situations, Hiei?" Yusuke asked abruptly. "I mean, I know it's not exactly a simple position to be in, but really? You're the guy that goes after what he wants, no matter what anyone else says or thinks or does. I didn't peg you for the type to back down from anything because it's going to be hard."

Anger flared through him as he turned his glare to Yusuke, but Hiei stayed silent. _Is he right? Am I backing down just because it's not going to be easy? If this were a fight, I wouldn't back down. Why am I now?_

"You know I'm right, Hiei," Yusuke continued, looking somewhat relieved to see that Hiei wasn't going to kill him after what he'd just said. "You care about her, right?"

"Hn," was Hiei's only response.

"I'll take that as a yes," Yusuke laughed. "Do you want kids? I guess I never even thought about you being a dad. Wow… what a weird thought!"

Hiei stayed silent for a moment before simply stating, "I do want kids."

"There you go! If you care about her, then you need to go for it. Fuck what anyone else thinks. If it's what you want, then go for it. Don't back down." Yusuke abruptly stood up & turned to face Hiei with a serious expression on his face. "Don't let her get away. Don't be an idiot, okay?"

"Hn." Hiei folded his arms across his chest & moved his gaze away from Yusuke.

"You're welcome," Yusuke said cheerfully. "I expect a full report soon! See ya, shorty!" Yusuke turned, waved casually, & without another word went on his way, leaving Hiei alone with his thoughts.

* * *

Hiei opened the door without knocking. He looked around the empty living room. He couldn't sense Kurama anywhere nearby, but he could tell that Jenny was in her room.

 _Good. I'd rather not have anyone else butting in on this situation._

He walked to the bedroom door & quietly turned the handle. As the door slid open, he saw that Jenny was sound asleep on her bed.

 _She does this quite a bit, doesn't she._

But the sight of her made his breath catch in his throat all the same. He stood in the door silently for a few minutes watching her. She wore her typical pajamas, a tank top & black shorts. An outfit he'd seen her in many times, but for some reason the sight of her swollen abdomen made her seem all the more attractive. The life she carried inside her somehow made her seem even stronger, especially after all she'd been through. The memories of Kai touching her flashed through his mind, causing him to flush with anger. The idea of another touching her, especially hurting her in that way, made him furious. The memory of Jin on top of her surfaced just as suddenly, followed by memories of Jenny & Jin at Genkai's. He was always around, always touching her, always making her smile. Jealousy raged through him at the thought of him lying with her.

 _He left her alone to deal with all of this. He couldn't protect her._ He stopped at that. _But neither could I…._

He forced himself to push those thoughts aside so he could focus on the task at hand. He watched as her slow, steady breathing caused her chest to rise & fall.

"Jenny."

He spoke calmly, but loud enough to stir her from her sleep. He saw her eyes flutter open sleepily. As she caught sight of him standing in the doorway, her eyes jolted wide & she sat up, clutching the blanket tight to her chest.

"Hiei!?"

Without asking permission to enter, Hiei walked across the room, grabbed a chair, dragged it over next to the bed, & sat down. He watched as he saw her mind trying to figure out why he was there.

"We need to talk."

* * *

"We need to talk."

Jenny stared wide eyed & confused at the fire demon who sat next to her bed. "Talk?"

 _He avoids me for days & now suddenly he's here wanting to talk?!_

"You came over asking for me to listen to you without interruption a few days ago. All I ask is for the same now." Hiei spoke calmly, but Jenny thought she saw a hint of uncertainty in his eyes.

Jenny sat up so her back was leaning on the headboard, adjusting herself so she was slightly turned toward him. She nodded nervously, letting him know he could continue. Her heart was pounding so loudly she thought for certain he must be able to hear it.

"I want you. I think I've wanted you since I began training you at Genkai's. I'm not exactly sure when it happened, but I hated seeing you & Jin together. It infuriated me. And you might hate me for it, but part of me was glad when he wasn't in your life anymore. Not because of the pain it caused you, but because it meant he couldn't have you." Hiei's determined eyes locked with hers as he spoke.

His words caused a myriad of emotions to course through her. Shock at his blatant honesty. _This is so unlike him. So out of character._ Anger  & hurt at his reaction to Jin being gone. But there was also excitement & joy. _All this time… he's actually cared. Even when I was with Jin._ Her feelings must have shown plainly on her face, because Hiei averted his gaze to the window.

"I didn't admit it to myself until after everything that happened with Kai. I couldn't hide it from myself anymore. But I knew it wouldn't work, so I kept quiet," he continued. "There are a lot of… complications…"

Her frustration with their conversation a few days before bubbled back up. "You mean the fact that I'm human & carrying Jin's baby?," she said, annoyed. She kept her gaze firmly on him, even if he wasn't meeting her eyes. She wanted him to know she wasn't going to back down this time. "I know it's not ideal, Hiei, but really? Since when do you just give up when things aren't easy? I've heard all the stories about you."

This elicited a laugh from Hiei that surprised her. "Yusuke said exactly the same thing."

"Yusuke?!," she said incredulously.

"Him & I had a bit of a talk earlier," Hiei responded. "He helped me realize a few things."

"And what would that be?" Her heart raced as she waited for his reply. _I can't believe Hiei talked to Yusuke about all of this…._

Hiei waited a moment before responding. "I was being weak. I let my fear get the best of me, as much as I hate to admit it." His gaze finally traveled back to meet hers. "I don't want to lose you."

Jenny felt like her heart was going to explode in her chest. Relief washed over her, but the apprehension was still there. "But what about-?"

"The baby? The fact that you're a human?" Hiei cut her off.

Jenny stopped talking & simply nodded slowly.

"We'll manage," he said simply.

"That's it?! 'We'll manage'?! Do you even want kids, Hiei?! This isn't just a 'me' thing… we're kind of a two-for-one deal, here!" She felt herself getting angry with him again, frustrated with his lack of concern now. "I don't want to get into this only to have you decide to back out last minute."

"Do you really think that little of me? You just told me you knew I didn't back down," he simply stated. To her surprise, he had the smallest glimmer of a smirk on his lips.

 _He's enjoying this!_ , she thought, feeling even more annoyed now.

"Hiei, seriously! You know I meant that, but…" she felt frustrated tears starting to well up in her eyes. "This isn't a game to me…."

Hiei sighed & moved so he was sitting on the end of the bed next to her legs. "I know it's not." His red eyes gazed at her intently, suddenly serious. "I wouldn't be courting you if I didn't take this seriously… if I didn't see a future there."

"Courting?" Jenny eyed him nervously.

"I guess you humans call it 'dating'. But to demons, courting is more serious. Jin didn't talk to you about any of this?" Hiei asked, surprise in his voice. "I assumed he would've told you about the differences between human & demon courting."

 _Jin never did talk to me about any of that…._ She felt a little pang of sadness course through her.

"No… he didn't." She tried to hide the sadness from her voice, but she wasn't sure how successful she'd been.

"Well you two seemed to spend a lot of time goofing off & doing… other things. And Jin wasn't exactly the type to worry about details." Realizing how harsh & jealous his words had sounded, he paused before speaking again. "Sorry… I didn't mean-"

"It's okay," Jenny looked down awkwardly at the blanket. "I get what you mean…."

"You asked if I wanted kids," Hiei continued. She closed her eyes, waiting for him to continue. "The answer is yes."

Her head lifted in a jerk to look up at him. She eyed him suspiciously. "Really…?"

"Yes," he replied. "I didn't really expect the child to have a different father, but yes…" Hiei reached out slowly & placed a hand tentatively on her stomach, his eyes following the movement. His hand radiated comforting warmth. To Jenny's surprise a small smile came to his lips. "This is your child & if I care this much about you, I know I can care about this child." His eyes clouded over. "But I do have a past-"

"I know you've done things in your past that you think make you a bad person." Sensing that he was about to move his hand away, & not wanting the contact to end, she placed a hand on top of his, holding it in place. "But I care about you, too. I accept you the way you are, just as you accept me the way I am… big, crazy, insane mess that I am."

"You are a mess, aren't you." Another rare smile graced his lips as his eyes made their way back to hers. "No wonder we make a good match."

Jenny smiled back at him, finally, & nudged his ribs with her foot playfully. "Look at you, making jokes."

 _We're back to normal now. Well… except that we aren't exactly just friends now… right?_

Hiei slid down the bed so that he was sitting closer to her, the suddenness of the movement startling her a little.

"Sorry," Hiei said quietly.

His lifted a hand to her cheek, running his fingers along her skin before tucking some of her hair behind her ear. The warmth of his touch sent a tingling sensation down her neck. She felt her cheeks flushing as his eyes watched hers.

"You're turning red," Hiei said matter-of-factly. The hint of a smirk on his lips yet again let her know he was enjoying making her uncomfortable.

"Oh, shut up," she responded, half joking, half seriously embarrassed. "I can't help it when you look at me like that."

Using his speed to his advantage, Hiei's face instantly appeared centimeters from her own. She felt his breath on her lips as he spoke. "Like what?" His eyes stayed open, watching her reaction carefully.

Memories from the dreams she'd had whirled through her mind, rushing at her, making it hard to think. She suddenly became very aware of the fact that she wasn't wearing a bra at the moment. She could tell her nipples stood out hard against the fabric.

 _Damn him… he's doing this on purpose. He knows exactly what he's doing._

Hiei didn't move, though. His lips stayed just a breath's distance away from hers, one hand unmoving on her stomach. Jenny could feel the heat radiating off of him. It was intoxicating. She couldn't tell if he was holding this position because he didn't want to hurt her by making a wrong move or if it was to torture her.

Unable to take it any longer, she finally whispered, "Kiss me, you idiot."

She saw his face twitch in amusement before she felt his free hand wrap around the base of her neck, his fingers sliding into her hair. His lips touched hers in a way that gave her relief & made her ache all at once. She could tell he was holding back, still unsure, so she slid her own fingers into his hair & pulled him into her, kissing him with an intensity that let him know she was okay. That he wasn't going to hurt her. He didn't have to hold back.

The kiss seemed to last forever, awakening things in her she hadn't felt, other than the dreams, since she'd been with Jin. She felt safe. She felt wanted. And best of all, when Hiei touched her, she didn't feel Kai. All she felt was Hiei. And he felt damn good.

Jenny began sliding over, making room for Hiei to lay on the bed next to her. He understood her wordless urging & laid next to her without breaking the kiss. He wrapped one of his arms around her waist & pulled her closer. Although she was already flushed with excitement, she felt her face turn redder as she realized he could press her as close to him as she'd like because of the baby.

She pulled back, putting a stop to the kiss. "I'm sorry…."

Hiei's eyes widened. "I moved too fast, I'm so-"

 _He thinks…. Oh no!_

"No, Hiei! That's not it!" She almost felt relieved, in a way, that that's what he was concerned about. "I just meant… well, the baby's pretty big & I know I'm not exactly super attractive right now…" She trailed off, not quite sure how to say how she was feeling.

Hiei watched her, comprehension spreading on his face. "What are you talking about? How could you think…." His gaze swept her body. "You're perfect. Stop being stupid."

She couldn't help herself. She laughed. "Only you would call someone stupid when you're trying to get them into bed."

"I think I already have you in bed…." Before she realized what he was doing, he'd moved his lips to her neck & gently grazed his teeth along the sensitive skin. She felt him growl against her & it made her moan unwillingly. "You're sure this is okay? I can stop if-"

"Hiei, if you stop right now I'll kill you."

She felt his lips part slightly & his breath on her neck as he chuckled at her words. "Well then, I'd better not stop. Wouldn't want the pregnant human girl to kill me."

Just as she was about to tell him to shut up, his warm lips crushed against hers in a rush of need. She felt his tongue press into her mouth, gliding across her own tongue. She felt a rush of warmth run through her body. All of his worries about needing to stop seemed to fly out the window. He seemed intent on getting what he wanted now. He slid a hand under her shirt & gently but firmly squeezed her breast. His thumb slid across her nipple back & forth, sending waves of pleasure through her.

 _He's so warm… It feels incredible._

Just as quickly, though, he broke the kiss, sat up &, to her great dismay, removed his hand from her breast. Wordlessly he urged her to sit up & with surprising speed he slid her tank top off over her head. She watched as his eyes took her in as he slipped off his own sleeveless shirt, showing off his toned muscles as he moved. His hand suddenly moved to her hips & he tugged at the side of her shorts.

"These will need to go," he said, his voice husky & commanding.

"And why's that?," Jenny replied, deciding it was her turn to try to make him uncomfortable.

To her surprise & delight, it worked. She saw the slightest hint of pink on his cheeks as he responded. "You know very well why."

"You first," she smiled wickedly up at him, enjoying feeling like she had the upper hand for once.

She was even more surprised when she saw him roll his eyes at her before he stood up, unbuckled his belt, & slid his pants down, boxers & all, without hesitation.

Jenny's eyes grew wide as Hiei stood in front of her, completely naked, hands on his hips. He smirked at her. "Did you really think you could make me feel uncomfortable by doing that?"

She didn't really care anymore. Her eyes glided over his defined body, taking in all of it. _Wow… even better than the dreams I'd had._ He was erect, excited  & ready for her.

"Your turn now," he said, breaking her from her thoughts.

She blushed as she forced herself to remove her eyes from him. She stood up & slid her shorts down, stepping out of them carefully. Then she felt Hiei come up behind her & wrap his arms around her, one hand ending up on a breast & the other rested on her hip, pressing her backside gently into his hips. She could feel him hard against her, sending a rush of need through her. His lips grazed the back of her neck. She leaned her head forward, not wanting him to stop. The feel of his warm body pressed entirely against hers felt incredible.

"How do we do this?"

The question startled her & made her laugh. "What do you mean 'how do we do this'?!"

He growled against her neck, sending a shiver down her spine. "You know what I mean… You're pregnant." His voice suddenly sounded unsure. "I don't want to… hurt the baby."

This made Jenny smile warmly. She placed her hand on top of the hand he had on her hip & gently squeezed. "I should be on top." She turned slowly to face him & wrapped her arms around his neck. She gave him a playful smirk. "I have a feeling you like to be in control, but for now you'll have to let me take the lead…."

His expression was uncertain, but when she moved into kiss him, he let her take the lead. She pulled him back to the bed & he laid back without hesitation. She climbed onto the bed & straddled him, one leg on each side of his hips. Hiei's eyes watched her as she moved. His hands moved to her ass & he squeezed, pressing her hips down into his. He didn't enter her yet, but she could feel him pressed against the sensitive skin between her legs, causing her to gasp in pleasure.

Hiei sat up so that his face was close to hers again & smirked. "I do like to be in control, but I'm willing to let it slide this time." He let his lips barely touch hers, teasingly. One of his hands moved to her neck, pulling her toward him as much as he could, while the other hand moved to her hip.

Jenny lifted her hips up, preparing herself for the next time he pressed her down into him. He growled against her lips, moved both of his hands back to her hips & hungrily pressed her into his hips. She gasped as she felt him enter her. To her surprise & great pleasure, she heard Hiei give a small moan against her lips. His grip tightened on her hips as the two stayed like this for a few moments, enjoying the connection & the feel of him inside her, unmoving.

Jenny put a hand to his chest & gently pushed him back so he was lying down completely on his back. He moved to sit back up, but she kept her palm pressed against his chest firmly. Slowly she began moving her hips in small circles. Hiei stopped struggling against her & his eyes closed in pleasure. She felt his hands grasp harder on her hips, urging her on. She felt him slowly moving deeper inside her & she closed her eyes, a moan of her own escaping her lips. As much as she wanted to go faster, & as much as she knew Hiei wanted to go faster, she forced herself to stay at this steady, achingly slow pace.

"You're evil…" he muttered, but she saw the hint of a smile on his face.

"Do you want me to stop, then?" she said teasingly, gently tightening her muscles around him.

He moaned again, his breathing quickening. "If you stop now, Jenny, I'll kill you," was his reply, which made her give a small laugh.

She continued moving her hips in slow, rhythmic circles for what seemed like hours. Their hands explored each others bodies as they immersed themselves in the pleasure of each other, tormenting each other with the intensity of their need. They didn't want it to end, so any time they felt themselves getting close to finishing, they'd slow down even more or stop, waiting until it was safe to continue. It was blissful agony.

Jenny felt herself tensing again, but this time, she knew she didn't have the willpower left to stop herself. She moaned loudly & her head tilted back as she finally let herself have her release. Pleasure shuddered through her with an intensity she'd never felt before. She moved her hips faster, aching for more.

Hiei gasped in pleasure as he felt her tighten around him. His hands gripped her hips tightly & pressed her into him hard. He raised his hips into hers. He moaned & she felt him release his own pleasure into her. The slow movements they'd been tormenting each other with ceased to matter. Their hips moved faster now, their bodies responding to one another.

Finally, they both slowed again as the waves of pleasure calmed. They stayed together, catching their breath for several minutes. Finally, Hiei sat up so they were eye to eye. He put a hand behind her neck & pulled her close to him, kissing her more gently than he ever had.

"I'm here for you now. Always. I'll protect you." His red eyes met hers with an intensity that took her breath away. "I'm yours. And you're mine."


	24. Chapter 24 - Going Public

Author's Note: I'm BAAACCKKK! Yep... it's true... I'm back! It's been FOREVER since I've updated this story! A lot's happened in my life since the last chapter. I got pregnant & now have an incredible little 15 month old. I also switched jobs, so between learning my new job & learning how to be a mother, I was more than a little busy. I'm trying to take advantage of some of my rare free time to finish up this story, finally. This chapter's a little shorter than I originally intended, but there's one more chapter on its way! I may get it done this weekend, but it may end up being another week before it gets posted. Please let me know what you think & give me constructive feedback! :) Thanks to all of my readers for being so patient! 3

Chapter 24 - Going Public

Jenny slowly roused herself from a deep sleep, the feeling of her arm draped across a warm body confusing her for a few moments before the memories of the night before came flooding back in.

 _It's real…. He's still here. It wasn't a dream._

She watched as Hiei's chest rose & fell slowly, her eyes wandering over his chest, face, & arms.

"See anything you like?"

Jenny jerked in surprise at the sound of Hiei's voice. Her eyes moved back to his face to see that his eyes were still closed, but he had the slightest smirk on his face.

"You were awake?!" Jenny said accusingly. "For how long?!"

"Long enough to see you watching me like a stalker after you woke up," was Hiei's response.

Jenny moved fast to playfully punch Hiei on the arm, but before her fist made contact, Hiei had taken ahold of her own arm. He pressed her back to the mattress with surprising force before kissing her with an intensity that took her by surprise. Ffor a split second she had a vision of Kai, but the feel of Hiei's lips on hers quickly made that image disappear into the pleasure that Hiei was awakening in her.

But just as fast as Hiei had pressed into her, he slid back & laid himself on the bed again. Jenny turned onto her side to face him, shifting uncomfortably as she felt the baby inside her pressing into her bladder.

 _This kid needs to find a better place to hang out in there._ She ran a hand lovingly along the side of her belly as she turned her attention to Hiei. He appeared to be deep in thought, his gaze on the ceiling.

"What's on your mind?" Jenny asked him after a few moments.

"You know almost nothing about me," Hiei stated matter of factly.

Jenny sighed & rolled her eyes. "This again?! By now you should know that your past doesn't matter to-"

"That's not what I mean," Hiei interrupted. He turned his gaze to meet hers, but he seemed uncomfortable. "I mean that you need to know more about me, now that you're mine."

The way he said "mine" made her bristle & feel giddy all at once. _He talks about me like I'm an object to be owned… but I love that I'm 'his'. Such a weird feeling…_

"First of all, I'm not an object you can claim. I don't belong to you, we're together. Second," Jenny paused & gave him a smile that softened the harshness of the previous words. "I agree… I want to know more about you. But you don't have to tell me all at once. You can tell me when you're ready."

Hiei slid his hand up the side of her neck & into her hair before pulling her into a teasingly gentle kiss before saying, "You are mine. I'm yours. Saying it any other way is just playing with words." His eyes watched her intently.

Ignoring his comment, knowing it's just how he is, she asked, "So what did you want to share?"

Hiei rolled so his back was against the mattress again. Jenny felt his hand casually sliding into hers. She smiled. _Who would've imagined Hiei being so gentle…?_

"I guess I should start off by telling you that you know my sister."

Jenny sat up startled & stared wide eyed at him. "WHAT?!"

The pair had laid in bed & talked for a few hours. Hiei explained, in as much detail as Hiei could. _He isn't much of a story teller…._ , Jenny had thought more than once in the conversation. But she had learned so much about him. She understood him so much better now. She knew why he was the way he was. Or at least, she felt like she did. She couldn't believe how open & honest he was about everything. She'd never seen this side of him before. It was like the intimacy of the night before had opened a floodgate for him. It felt incredible to her that he was trusting in her this much.

When he was finished, he turned to her, his gaze unreadable. "Are you still in?" His face showed no emotion, which told Jenny he was probably covering up a number of feelings he didn't want her seeing.

"I'd be in whether you had told me or not," she confidently replied. "You know that, or you wouldn't have told me." Hiei watched her, unmoving, seemingly unsure of what to think or do.

Now it was her turn to run a hand up his neck & into her hair. She pulled him into a kiss that wasn't as gentle as the one he had given her earlier. Hiei growled against her lips as the kiss intensified.

Suddenly Jenny felt a huge kick from inside her abdomen, which made her jump & pull away from Hiei. _Jeez, little one!_ She hadn't felt a kick that strong before. She couldn't help but laugh as she looked down at her stomach.

"What the hell was that?!" She looked back up at Hiei, who was staring wide eyed at her belly.

She laughed again, smiling up at him. "That was the little one letting us know they're there." She took his hand & placed it on the side of her stomach. "Want to feel?"

Hiei's hand pulled back for an instant before he caught himself. He must've seen the flicker of disappointment on Jenny's face, because he quickly said, "I didn't mean… I was just surprised, that's all. I've never felt a baby move like that before…." He averted his gaze. "I'm new to all of this."

Jenny kept her hand on his & moved it back to her stomach. She gave him a gentle smile. "I am, too." They laid in silence for a few moments before they felt another even larger kick from the baby.

She watched Hiei's expression this time as he felt the kick & felt a warmth she didn't realize she'd feel. When the baby kicked, Hiei's face lit up with a variety of emotions. Surprise. Wonder. Fear. Excitement. She couldn't help but smile as she watched him feel the baby move inside her. She saw the same emotions in herself whenever she felt the baby. It comforted her.

"It's amazing, isn't it…" She finally said. "This little life…. I never thought I'd get so attached to someone before meeting them…" She felt her smile widening.

Hiei's hand lifted her chin so she was looking into his eyes. " I will always protect you. Both of you." His eyes shone with so much emotion that it took Jenny by surprise.

The surprising sight of him being so connected to her baby suddenly made him even more attractive to her. She felt herself closing the distance between their lips, her eyes sliding shut as they moved closer together, Hiei's hand never leaving her belly. But just as their lips met….

"JENNY! GET UP!" A boisterous Kuwabara burst into her bedroom, arms flailing wildly. One hand held a flopping pancake, which splattered syrup on the wall as he swung his arms. "The pancakes are almost gon-" Kuwabara stopped dead in his tracks when he saw that there were two people in the bed. "What the-!" His eyes grew even wider when he realized who was in the bed with her. "WHAT THE-?!"

Jenny & Hiei both cringed in unison as Kuwabara sprinted from the room yelling to whoever was in the kitchen that he needed to wash his eyes.

"You didn't think to lock the door, Hiei?"

"I was a little preoccupied last night." They both sighed & Hiei went to close the bedroom door. "Well, we better get dressed & go out to find out what kind of hell awaits us out there."

"It's about fucking time!" Yusuke shouted excitedly as he attempted to give Keiko a high-five. Keiko simply gave him an exasperated side-eyed glance, so Yusuke eventually let his hand slide defeatedly back down to his lap. Keiko seemed less than sure about the situation as she eyed Hiei suspiciously.

Jenny & Hiei stood in the kitchen in front of a group that consisted of Kuwabara, Yukina, Yusuke, Keiko, & Kurama. The group had been eating breakfast & had wondered why Jenny was sleeping in so late. Jenny awkwardly explained that her & Hiei had been up late talking, to which Kuwabara & Yusuke burst out into hysterical laughter.

Jenny's gaze landed on Yukina & she had to remind herself that Yukina didn't know about Hiei being her brother. _I'll have to be careful not to slip up on that one… I'm terrible at secrets.. Hopefully Hiei doesn't kill me when I spill the beans eventually._ She inwardly cringed at the thought.

"So you two are 'together' now, are you?" Kurama's even tone quieted the rowdy group of boys.

 _Well this could get awkward…_ The reality of the situation kicked in. Kurama is her brother, Hiei  & Kurama are basically best friends. _I wonder how this will change things with them?_ Jenny felt her face flush.

Suddenly she felt a hand slip into hers. "Yes. Is there a problem with that?" She turned to look at Hiei, whose gaze was firmly & confidently fixed on Kurama.

Kurama held his gaze just as intently. "And you understand her situation? The child?"

Hiei seemed to ruffle at that comment. "Of course I do." And to Jenny's immense surprise, she felt Hiei's other hand move protectively to the baby.

Kurama stood then & moved to stand next to Hiei. Kurama put his hand on Hiei's shoulder. "Good." His eyes bore into Hiei's. "If you hurt her, or the child, I'll kill you."

Hiei suddenly smirked at him. "I'll keep that in mind, fox."

Kurama smiled back at him before letting go of his shoulder. His gaze moved to Jenny. "And you're happy?"

Jenny found that she couldn't hold her smile back. "Very." She squeezed Hiei's hand.

"Good," Kurama smiled back at her before heading back into the kitchen.

"Well that got intense real fast!" Kuwabara loudly interjected as he shoved another piece of pancake into his mouth.

Jenny let out the breath she'd been holding, thankful that Kuwabara had broken the tense moment. "I'm starving… move over, Kuwabara!" She moved to sit next to him on the bench seat, elbowing him to try to get him to move over. He gave her a feigned look of annoyance before sliding over.

"I'm only moving because you're pregnant. Gentlemen don't let pregnant women eat standing up," Kuwabara explained. "You owe me, especially after having to see what I walked in on earlier. I can never get that image out of my head now… Stupid short stuff…." Kuwabara glared at Hiei, who glared back at him just as intensely.

"You're lucky I'm letting you live after barging in on us like that," Hiei snorted as he leaned against the wall. Jenny smiled as she saw that he'd already snatched up a pancake & had taken several bites. _He loves his pancakes…_

"I just hope you know what you're getting yourselves into… both of you," Keiko chimed in, her eyes fixed on Jenny. Jenny gave her a smile that said 'I'm fine, relax' that seemed to do nothing to calm Keiko's nerves.

"Well I'm happy for you two," Yukina said softly. "It's about time Hiei had someone he cared for."

Jenny glanced up to watch Hiei's response. To her delight, Hiei's cheeks reddened ever so slightly, but she could tell he was happy to get his sister's approval, even if he'd never admit to it.

"Thanks, Yukina." Jenny gave Yukina a grateful smile before taking another bite of her breakfast.

"Oh, Genkai wanted me to pass on a message to you, Jenny," Yukina added.

"A message? About what?" Curiosity coursed through Jenny.

"She set up a prenatal appointment for you at the hospital for tomorrow. Since you weren't able to have a real one before," Yukina replied, smiling. "Now you'll be able to get a real ultrasound, listen to the heartbeat again, & find out the gender, if you want!"

Jenny stared at her for a moment in disbelief. It made sense, all normal women went to prenatal appointments when they were pregnant. But it felt foreign to her since she'd spent so much time not doing the 'typical' pregnant woman stuff. "I can see the baby tomorrow… and find out the gender…" Her mind whirled. It all seemed so sudden. So real. She looked up at Hiei, who was watching her with a look of uncertainty.

Hiei was the first to break the silence that followed. "So you'll be able to see the baby tomorrow & find out if it's going to be a boy or a girl?"

"Duh, Hiei! That's what you do at these appointments!" Yusuke joked, but stopped abruptly when he saw the glare Hiei had thrown his way.

"And you're going?" Hiei asked Jenny. His expression was now unreadable.

Confused & uncertain, Jenny replied with a simple, "Yeah, I guess so..."

"Then I expect to be there, too." His eyes stayed locked intensely with hers, as if daring her to say he couldn't come.

Jenny's face softened into a smile. She stood up & walked over to him. "I wouldn't have it any other way." Her hand found its way into his again & she gave it a reassuring squeeze. Hiei gave her a small, almost indiscernible smile.

 _Such a tough guy…. His armor is back on around the others…._

"Bleeehhhhhhhh!" Behind her, Jenny heard Kuwabara & Yusuke making fake barfing noises at them. She couldn't help but laugh as she leaned her head into Hiei's chest, feeling more content than she had in quite a long time.


	25. Chapter 25 - He'd Approve

Author's Note: I did it! I finally finished Jenny's story! I have mixed feelings about this.. Relief that it's finally over, after I spent the last two years procrastinating... But I'm also sad that I won't be on this journey anymore. I've loved diving into this story & watching the characters evolve. Please let me know what you think of this last chapter & the story as a whole. Thank you so much to all of my readers for taking this journey along with me! 3 It means so much!

Chapter 25 - He'd Approve

Jenny cringed slightly as the doctor slid the chilly transducer across her belly, searching for the baby. She anxiously watched the screen as the doctor cheerfully explained what she was doing. Hiei stood against the wall by the door, trying to seem calm, but Jenny knew better. He was an anxious mess. Jenny glanced over to him & gave a small smile.

"Get over here, you idiot," Jenny waved for him to come closer, but Hiei shook his head.

"Hn," Hiei adjusted his arms to show that he was quite comfortable where he was. "I think I'll stay here out of the way."

"There's the little one!" the doctor finally exclaimed.

Jenny's eyes shot back immediately to the screen. Her gaze roamed the image in amazement.

"That doesn't look like anything to me," Hiei remarked from behind her. To Jenny's surprise Hiei had moved to stand next to her. She felt a warm hand move to her arm.

The doctor smiled as she glanced back at them. "Ultrasounds are often hard to read, but I can point out a few things to you." She pointed to the bottom right side of the screen. "There's a foot…." She moved around to point at various sections of the screen. "...and there's an arm… and the head… and that sound you hear? That's the baby's heartbeat."

"Wow….." That's all Jenny could say. She felt tears in spring up in her eyes. She couldn't help it. She felt completely & utterly overwhelmed by the emotions that sprung up unexpectedly. _That's my baby… Jin's baby… we made this little one…_ She glanced over at Hiei who, to her surprise, was staring at the screen with an odd expression on his face. _And Hiei & I will raise this child together now… Can we do this?_

"Would you like to know the sex?"

"Huh?" Jenny was shaken out of her thoughts by the doctor's voice.

"You're already almost six months along," The tone sounded almost accusatory, as if she was wondering why she'd waited this long to see a doctor when she'd known she was pregnant. "We can tell the sex easily at this point. Would you like to know or do you want to wait?"

Jenny looked up at Hiei. "I want to know, Hiei. What do you think?"

"Do what you think is best," was his casual reply. It irked Jenny & she had to stop herself from making an angry comment back. She didn't want to ruin the moment. _Damn him & his 'whatever' attitude…._

"Let's do it," Jenny said cautiously to the doctor.

The doctor slid the transducer around to another area of her stomach & ended up settling on one spot as she scanned the screen with her eyes thoughtfully. "It looks like you're going to have a little boy. He's making things quite obvious," the doctor chuckled as she pointed to the screen.

 _A boy… A boy…._ Her eyes welled up again with even more tears. _Jin would've loved having a son…._ She stopped herself & forced herself to look up at Hiei, scared of what his reaction might be. _How does he feel about all this? This is all new to him. He didn't ask for any of this. It's not even his kid. He must be feeling strange about it all._

"A boy…." Hiei spoke the words that Jenny had been thinking. His eyes moved from the screen & he slowly lifted his other hand up to place it on belly. "A son…" The smallest hint of a smile crept onto his face as his eyes once again moved, this time to meet Jenny's gaze.

Her heart melted at that simple reaction. It meant everything. _He cares. He wants this. We can do this._

After the check-up was over & they had a few ultrasound photos in hand, the doctor left them alone in the room so Jenny could get dressed. The moment the doctor left the room & Jenny carefully got off of the table, Hiei pulled her into a tight embrace. It happened so suddenly that it caught Jenny completely off guard.

"I want this…"

"Uh, Hiei… I don't think this is the place for that right now…"

"Not that, you idiot…" She felt him smirk against her neck as he spoke. "I want _this_.. All of it. You…  & our son."

The word 'our' hit her like a truck. _Our son_ …

"Our son…." she repeated.

Hiei pulled back so his his forehead leaning against hers. "Yes…. our son." He placed his hand once again on the side of her belly before kissing her gently. "I love you & I have no doubt I'll love this boy as if he were my own."

 _I love you…_ They'd never actually said it before. The words trickled through her, filling her with a peaceful happiness that she hadn't felt since…. Well…. She wasn't sure she'd ever felt this sense of peace before, really.

"I love you too, Hiei," she replied softly before pulling him into another kiss. She slid a hand into his hair & smiled against his lips.

 _We've got this…._

As they were walking out of the doctor's office, Jenny & Hiei ran into Kurama, who was waiting outside on a bench reading a book.

"Kurama! What are you doing here?" Jenny walked (or waddled, as it felt to her) over to him excitedly.

Kurama closed the book & smiled up at her. "I was waiting for you." He stood up & glanced down at her stomach for a brief moment. "I thought there might be someone who you'd like to introduce to the little one while you're here at the hospital."

 _Someone who I'd like to introduce-?_

"Oh!" Realization swept over her & she felt like a complete idiot once she realized who Kurama was talking about. "Your mom! I mean… our mom!" Her face flushed a bright red. "I don't know why I didn't think about that before…"

"I'd say you've had a lot of other things to deal with," Hiei stated.

"No time like the present," Kurama replied. "Mother will be delighted to see you again & learn the news!"

"Mother, you have a visitor," Kurama announced as he strode into his mother's hospital room.

"How lovely-" Shiori's mouth gaped open as she saw Jenny walk into the room. Jenny stood awkwardly in the doorway, one hand under her belly. "Well! You've been busy, haven't you! A baby?!"

The unfortunate choice of words caused a shudder of revulsion to run up Jenny's spine as she recalled one of the first things Kai said to her when she'd woke up after he kidnapped her. Forcing herself to focus on the task at hand, she replied in as calm a voice as she could. "Yeah… it's kind of a long story…." She trailed off, not quite knowing what she should say next. _Do I tell her everything about Jin? About Kai? Jesus… there's so much she doesn't know…_

Kurama gently took her hand & gave it a small squeeze. He gave her a reassuring smile before saying to Shiori, "Jenny met a man who she loves very much."

A wave of gratitude washed over Jenny as she let out a sigh of relief. _Kurama always knows the right thing to say…. Shiori doesn't need to know all of that.. At least right now, anyway…_

Shiori gave Jenny a warm smile. "I'm so happy to hear that, dear. You deserve the world."

Smiling back at her, Jenny replied, "Would you like to feel him kick? He's wide awake right now & doing somersaults on my bladder at the moment."

Shiori laughed & motioned for her to come closer. "Let me feel how strong my grandchild is."

Jenny flopped down onto the couch with the exhausted gracefulness of an elephant. "I'm so hungry I could eat a whole pizza & not even feel bad about it…" She leaned her head back & stretched her legs out, thankful to be off her feet.

Kurama chuckled as he gracefully sat down on the couch next to her. "We could order some, if you'd like."

She glanced over at him. _This jerk makes me feel even more like a beached whale with how perfectly together he is… Asshole._ She rubbed her hand over her belly as she contemplated how much smaller ( & more comfortable) she used to be.

After visiting with Shiori for a while, they'd decided to go back to Kurama's & relax for a bit. Hiei was off training somewhere, letting off some steam. He'd mentioned something about not getting enough training in while he was busy with her the last few days. He'd be by later to pick her up, he said.

Suddenly Jenny felt a foot poke out painfully on the side of her stomach. "OWWWWW!"

Kurama sat up, a concerned look on his face as he looked her over. "What's wrong?"

"This guy kicked me harder than Genkai does when we train!" Jenny rubbed the injured area on her stomach as Kurama laughed at her reply.

"'This guy', huh? I'm assuming you found out it's a boy?" Jenny nodded & Kurama's expression turned more serious now. "You realize that this child will be half demon, half human, right?"

Jenny slowly nodded, but if she was being honest with herself she hadn't really thought about that much. It was just a baby to her. Her & Jin's baby... But Jin was a demon… "Will things be different than with a human baby?"

"I don't know…." Kurama replied slowly before turning his body toward her. "I'm not sure any of us here have any experience in any of this, but we're all here for you. Try not to worry." His gaze softened. "You've been through so much. Let yourself enjoy the rest of this pregnancy. Let yourself enjoy this new relationship with Hiei."

The pair sat in silence for a few long minutes. _Enjoy this new relationship… enjoy this pregnancy…_ She took a deep breath. There was no more Kai to worry about. No more anxiety about what Jin would think about all of this. She could just be happy. It took a long while for this idea to sink in.

"Would you like to feel your nephew?"

This time it was Kurama's turn to look caught off guard. "Really?"

"Of course! This guy's been SO active today it's ridiculous. Give me your hand!" Jenny reached for his hand, which Kurama gladly moved in her direction.

The moment Kurama's hand was placed on her belly, he felt a strong kick against his palm. Kurama stared in wonder as he felt the movement of the baby under his hand.

"My nephew… He seems strong."

Jenny smiled as she placed her own hand on her belly again. "He is… He's Jin's son… & he'll become even stronger because he'll be raised by Hiei." An image of Hiei holding this little one popped into her head, filling her with warmth.

 _Jin…. I wonder what he'd think about all of this if he could see us now…_ She gave herself a small, satisfied smile. She imagined his warm smile washing over her, remembering the last time she'd held him in that dream when he'd said goodbye forever. She could feel his hand on her belly still... She could hear him saying it was okay for her to be with Hiei.

She knew he'd approve.


End file.
